Internship Overview

Hello! Welcome to my blog, where I muse about the daily things that go on at my internship, as well as tips and ideas I can share for when you begin your internship. First, I guess I'll start with just a little of my background- I am a Senior at AU majoring in Communications, Law, Economics, and Government. I will be looking forward to graduating in December, and then have to listen to my own tips and advice as I search for a new job. Since Freshman year I have interned somewhere within this great city, because there is always someone looking to hire, especially when so many are willing to work for nothing- economics and supply & demand at its best, right? I loved and learned a lot from each of my internships, and for me it was interesting to apply what I learned in class at work, and certainly vice-versa.
I began interning for my Congressman from the state of New Jersey, where I answered phones, led tours, and was able to attend hearings and have the behind-stage pass to explore the places on the Hill I've always dreamed about. For political enthusiasts, this is akin to having not only front row passes to Bon Jovi, but being picked out of the crowd and taken backstage to have a chat with the band. Amazing.
Next I worked for a technology firm in their Communications Department, where I put together press packets and materials for upcoming press conferences and kept the firm up-to-date on all the news about our member companies.
I worked for a Presidential campaign, and over the summer last year I worked for a local law firm at home, cataloging clients' information and open new cases, similar to what I do now.

Now, I work at the Department of Justice, where I do case management work, such as

• Creating a list of and searching the Opinions from the thirteen appellate courts from around the country and see if our attorneys worked on the case, determine whether or not we won, and forward the papers and information on to them
• Set up new cases in our system database
• Communicate to the Division our wins/ losses
• Cite check opinions from the attorneys

I enjoy it because it directly relates to what I am interested in when I graduate. Last night in fact during my law class we discussed exactly what I do every day, discussing how many federal courts there are, how cases can be sent to the circuit courts, etc. The attorneys and staff are wonderful people, we socialize and try and get together around once a month for events, and over the summer we had softball games and even a trivia night.

Now, enough about me- what about what you're looking for? It's still the very beginning of the semester, and you are looking online or thinking about what you want to do. My advice first is definitely keep your options broad and open, even if you absolutely, 100% know you want to work somewhere. Don't pigeonhole yourself into one area! For example, if you're into politics, remember there are hundreds of agencies, organizations, Congressmen, and other places you can look. I started on the government side first, then I wanted to see the other side of things, where I saw the private firms and how they worked. Also, internships for me now are also about discovering what I like and don't like about what it entails. Even though you're not getting paid, you still are a high commodity in the area and can search and look until you find one that you thinks suit you. Like my Internship professor said, there's a reason to take an internship people don't normally think of, and that is to see what you don't like. This is the time to figure out what things annoy you or you want to do everyday on a weekly basis at work. Do you want to sit and answer phones all day? How about never picking up one? Enjoy talking to people your age, or are you comfortable being the only intern there? Every internship gives you more perspective about what you want to do, and, such as substitute coffee-maker or errand runner, what you want to avoid and ask about at your next interview.