I recently read an article on The New York Times about the unpromising future of internships. As a graduate with four internships under my belt but no guarantee of employment, I instantly opened the article.

My career as an intern started as a glorified dream. I created this image in my head that to intern was to be ahead of the game, apart of the working world and closer to fulfilling my life-long dream of working as an editor for a magazine.

The title "For Interns, All Work and No Pay Off" was like an icy cold slap to the face. In so many words, the article reflected the truth: I had been over-worked, underpaid and unnoticed.

I dove right into my internship work with hope, determination and fierce passion. However, as the article truthfully states, what opportunity was I, or any other intern, working for? In fact, there was no opportunity.

Unfortunately, my internship experience held no promise for hiring. My final (paid) internship for a public relations company in San Diego was the straw that broke the camel's back. I worked like a horse to the ground every single day. I would literally run around the city of San Diego trying to prove myself for nothing. I could go into detailed examples, but simply reminiscing on those memories makes me exhausted.

However, I am a firm believer of never regretting experiences. Yes, at times my internship memories feel as if I failed, as if I wasn't good enough or if I had done more I could've/would've/should've succeeded.

Instead of dwelling in the negative thoughts, I concentrate about what I did accomplish. I woke up every day and committed myself to something. I worked hard, asked questions, completed tasks, found answers on my own and said yes to everything. Bottom line is, I love to work and what my internships taught me is it's not the work that needs to be done, but the heart that lies with it. That's what needs to happen in internships. There is no need to impress anyone but your own self and your own dreams.

xo

Ani