How to get the most out of your unpaid internship

Sometimes experience is worth more than a paycheck

The idea of having an internship without pay isn’t appealing to most people, especially college students. At this age we all want a job that can at least pay rent, put ramen noodles on the table for dinner and support our end of the week drinking.

That said, even unpaid internships are a great way to get job experience before graduation. Here are a few ways to make the most of your unpaid internship.

Get to know the people you’re working with

This is the most simple piece of advice I can give you. Most internships aren’t hyper competitive like movies make them out to be, and people aren’t scheming or plotting ways they can sabotage their competition. Making friends makes all the difference when it comes to having an internship.

Getting to know the people in your office allows you to make contacts that could help you with connections in the future. Additionally, if you make a point to get to know the people around you, there won’t be as many awkward silences and you’ll have someone to relate to when the work gets stressful or overwhelming. Your boss isn’t going to want you to come to them with ever minor problem if another intern or someone else in the office can answer your questions or help you out with a project.

Meeting and getting to know new people is exciting. If you’re going to be working with a person or group of people for a semester, for the summer, or even for the year you need to get to know them. Make a point to invite everyone out for drinks after a long day, or make plans to see a movie that just came out.

What will probably start as a stiff work relationship can quickly turn into a strong friendship, and before you know it you’ll be learning at work and having fun with the people around you.

Take advantage of the perks

If you’re one of the lucky few, you may be able to find a paid internship, but most of the internships available to students are unpaid. If you’re one of those prone to going on about how unpaid internships are unfair, sit down, shut up, and grow up. It all comes down to gaining valuable experience and getting an edge on those who think unpaid internships are a waste of time.

Meeting Wolf Alice in the Big Room

I had the amazing opportunity to work as a promotions and marketing intern for Columbus alternative radio station CD102.5 for over two years. I was an unpaid intern, but the perks of working for the radio station more than made up for not being paid. I met some of my favorite bands, I went to a lot of concerts for free and I made some great friends.

Some internships offer free merchandise, free entrance to events, or even the opportunity to dip your toes into another department if you’re interested. Every job or internship has its perks.

Stay curious

When I first started my internship I was in the middle of transferring to Ohio State and had no idea what I wanted to do. My main jobs were performing office duties to help my boss and working promotional events across Columbus like the Pride parade, Comfest, and CBJ games, to name a few.

It sounds easy enough, but there were a lot of other small duties attached to my two main jobs. Sometimes I set up for in-studio performances, picked up catering for major yearly concerts and updated the rolling calendar of events. At times it could be hectic, but I learned that in order to be successful you have to ask questions no matter how insignificant they seem.

Working Potatostock at Columbus Commons

My bosses always encouraged the interns to ask questions. If we wanted to know more about the technical side of things or we wanted to sit in on a weekly music meeting we could. We were treated as if we were paid employees by everyone—even the DJs knew our names. Having an internship is a unique experience that allows you to get a taste of what you can expect when you enter a profession.

If you want more information of internships, Ohio State has an internship and career fair every semester. If you can’t make it out to one of those, pop into your advisors office for some advice. That’s what they’re here for.

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