Hello again, fine reader!
Since you are probably a Tufts student, I’m going to
go ahead and assume that you’ve heard a whole lot about internships at this
point in your life.
In case you haven’t yet, I'll start with a definition. An "internship" is defined by Dictionary.com
as "any official or formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession".
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| Here I am, looking like the perfect intern. |
Now, I'm not new to the whole internship thing. As a senior who wants to get into law school, I've interned at various places during my Tufts career. I'm a weathered and weary intern veteran at this point, but that doesn't mean I'm averse to trying new things.
This summer, I took part in an internship that was different from my usual summer gig. Instead of commuting to an office or courthouse, I traveled the distance from my bed to my laptop. Grueling trip, I know. How did I manage that? Well, I was taking part in a virtual internship with a youth mobilization group called Americans for Informed Democracy (AID).
What exactly is a virtual internship? It's just what it sounds like - an internship where you work virtually and communicate through the internet or by phone. The internships themselves vary depending on the organization, but one thing remains constant - not meeting in person. Instead of being introduced to my team in an office, I met them through a 15-person conference call.
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| Pictured above: my relationship with phone calls. |
During my internship, I worked on social media. Mostly I helped maintain the group's Facebook and Twitter pages, but I also had the chance to create content. My objectives were to broaden our audience, and to get people pumped about what our organization does (that is, educating and training youth leaders who want to change the world). I worked for the entire summer, and it was probably one of the most interesting projects I've taken on. There were definitely pros and cons, which I will now share.
Pros:
- Schedule was extremely flexible – I could work any time I wanted to (great for night owls like myself who love to work late).
- Since your work is displayed online, you have a record of what you did which you can go back to and show other people.
- With social media, you can watch your follower count grow and use those numbers as measures of your progress. It’s very rewarding to see more likes/comments/retweets/etc.
- Social media itself is very fun! You get to interact with people and share information through various means (images, text, video, audio, etc.).
- Independent projects offer lots of freedom – I could take advantage of my creativity!
- It forces you to hold yourself accountable, as you might not be in constant contact with the people you work under.
- You might not meet anyone in person, but you will virtually meet a lot of amazing people from all around the world! I was part of a team that included people living in Sweden, South Africa, and all over North America.
- For a college student, working from home is nice because it gives you extra time to spend with your family over the summer.
Cons:
- Sometimes it was difficult to stay connected to the project, or to feel like you’re doing something tangible, since there are only virtual outcomes.
- It was easy to get out of contact with people when taking into account busy or conflicting schedules.
- Timing was a challenge – it’s no easy task to get people from different time zones on the same conference call.
- Working from home makes it easier to get distracted, especially since you’re expected to be on the internet anyway.
- If you’re someone who can’t work without a very rigid structure, a virtual internship can offer a little too much freedom. You might feel aimless at times, or confused as to what you should work on next.
Overall:
Despite its challenges, I would definitely recommend
a virtual internship to anyone who’s looking for something a little different.
They’re not for everyone, but they are great
for people interested in social media, those who need to work from home, and
anyone who desires an extremely flexible schedule.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll come away from it
proud of all the work you managed to do with nothing but a laptop and an
internet connection! My internship this summer taught me that the virtual world
isn’t so far removed from real life as you might think. Political mobilization
groups like AID are only one example of how doing things online can affect the
world IRL. Who knew spending time on Facebook could create positive change?
If you’re interested in working for Americans for
Informed Democracy (and you should be, since they’re awesome!) either check out
the website here, or shoot me an email at Kelly.Vieira@tufts.edu so I can talk
your ear off about it. For other internships, check out this great pdf on getting started.
Long live the internet!
Signing off (to check Facebook),
Kelly Vieira
Class of 2015
