Your Major Isn't All You Have to Offer
It’s that time of year again―internship season. Everyone is freaking out, applying, interviewing and for the lucky few, getting offers. For many of us, however, we won’t be getting our top choice. Now that's not meant to stress you out—it’s meant to be a relief.
Today, I had the opportunity to hear Cody Keenan, former President Obama’s head speechwriter, speak. He told us all the ups and downs of his post-college life. Here’s the short version: he moved to Washington post-undergrad, was sleeping on his former frat brother’s couch, and sent out a million resumes to jobs he wasn’t qualified for.
He eventually found his way into Ted Kennedy’s office where, as an intern, he was asked to write his first speech. “No one goes to school to be a speechwriter,” Keenan said. He said even if they had, he probably wouldn’t want to hire them anyway. He wants people who are well rounded, interesting and, most importantly, not robots relying on their textbook readings.
This is the same advice I got from my older sister just this weekend. Now here is a girl, a twenty-two year old fresh out of college with a degree in Human Resources. What is she doing? She is working as a producer’s assistant for the guy who created Breaking Bad.
After working for two months in HR after graduation, she realized she didn’t want to be sitting behind a desk for the rest of her life. She got her first taste of the entertainment industry only six months ago after a high school friend got her a part-time job that basically required her to get people coffee. She earned minimum wage and worked countless hours, and the days that often ran into the next—but she loved it.
Now after only working on three different sets, she has worked her way into a position that communications majors like me dream of. When I asked if it was hard for her to get the hang of things, she told me the same thing as Keenan
“I’m in a position that revolved around working with teams, they want to interact with people, not a textbook. I treat the actors, the producers, the extras and the Teamsters all alike, like people, not celebrity or god.” She added that she feels like she has a leg-up not relying on just her college experiences, but also being forced to integrate her own personality.
So getting that perfect internship right now might seem like it’s going to make or break your entire career, but truth is, it won’t. You can find a job that makes you happy, one that you actually look forward to every day. All you have to do is keep an open mind, maintain a strong work ethic and let your life happen.