On Alcohol and Internships (with Bonus Drinking Game!)

For the full essay (and the drinking game), see it on 20 Something Magazine.
Originally published on October 3, 2014.

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Ah, yes, the dreaded internship, something us 20-somethings know all too well. How else does one get experience these days? Gone seems to be the past of starting in the mailroom and working your way up. But how to succeed in business while actually trying a whole lot? Take on an internship! Spend a summer or a semester or a year working in that industry you so want to be a part of, and by the end of the stint you’ll be able to slap the name of a big old publishing house or that prestigious law firm on your resume. Dreamy, right? And you’ll get experience to boot!

But here’s what they don’t tell you about those internships: you may be working, technically, in the field where you want to be, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will be doing work in that field. And it especially doesn’t mean that the work you will be doing will be at all exciting. Plus, chances are, you’re not going to get paid. Maybe you’ll get some college credit, but your college will probably be snobby about it and won’t accept them in the end, so you’re really just working for free.