I know you’re all still swamped with the work you neglected over spring break and don’t even want to think about the fact that exams are just around the corner. That’s why I hate to break it to you, but if you’re planning on sacrificing your summer for an internship this year,  the time to start searching, applying, and interviewing was yesterday. But don’t worry – you can still start now!

Whether you’ve already pledged to yourself that an internship will be beneficial to your eventual career, or this article only just now put the idea into your head, it can be difficult to know where to look. After all, if we are going to spend the summer working for little or no pay, we want the best damn internship out there, don’t we? As a bit of an intern connoisseur (I have five under my belt), I’d like to help steer you in the right direction.

1. Your school.

When employers are seeking smart, motivated interns, they often look to the local universities. Check in with your career center and see if any intern positions have been posted, or if a career counselor has gotten any requests for qualified applicants. While you’re there, a counselor can help you tighten up that resume so you really have an impact when you start sending it out.

Or, even better: see if anyone in your major department can help you out. You can usually earn college credit through an internship, so your professors have seen hundreds of students complete internships that often required a work-log or journal to prove that they were worthy of X credit hours. In fact, many departments now require an internship to complete the degree, so they have to be ready to point their students in the right direction. Personally, my English program had an internship elective, and one professor served as the internship coordinator. She gave me a list of potential employers, and then put in a good word for me after I’d chosen a company to pursue.

2. Friends and family

If you’ve got connections, use them! Is your cousin already successful in her own career field? Ask her if she knows anyone in the industry who is looking for interns. Is your dad’s best friend from high school the CEO of a Fortune-500? Ask if he can put in a good word. Our “elders” have all gone through some sort of struggle to succeed in their careers, and are always thrilled to see a young yet motivated individual.

Personal anecdote: My cousin is a graphic design major. I recently had a woman in my office (my superior, but not my boss) send out a mass email to the college students at work because her friend was looking for an intern who was experienced in web design. Knowing my cuz was looking for a summer gig that would allow her to build her portfolio, I immediately sent it on, and she soon got set up with an interview.

3. Cold-calling.

Make a list of companies that you would like to work for. Whether it’s a convenient, local company or a super-famous American icon (hey, even MTV needs interns!), write down their addresses and send out your resume. In your cover letter, express the fact that you would love to do an internship for them, but that if they don’t have anything available, you would appreciate an informal interview with one of their agents. This shows that you are serious about the company, and while many unsolicited resumes go unnoticed, you may actually get that informal interview- and that’s how you start networking for the future!

4. The internet.

Come on. What DON’T we go to the web for these days? Even if you’re doing the cold-calling mentioned above, you might find internship listings on the company websites while you are stalking their current HR person. Most companies do have sections for internship openings in their “Jobs” sections, and you might even find an online application form or specific job requirements and details.

If you don’t even know what types of COMPANIES to check out, there are plenty of searchable databases like internshipprograms.com, internships.com, and internzoo.com. Even Monster has an intern section, or you can dare to go abroad via InternAbroad.

(Personal note: for artsy students, especially in the realm of theater, check out the job listings on Playbill.com, because all of the performing arts internships for the summer are being posted, um…. now!)

So, if anyone has specific questions regarding your personal majors/career fields/job wishes… post them below! Your fellow CC’ers can share their own tips from past experiences!

Is the spring semester half over already? Sadly, it’s true. And while some of our peers will be looking forward to spending the summer at one pool party after another, many of us are currently scouring job listings for summer internships.

Internships are a great way to add experience to your resume, make industry connections, and discover what kind of career path you really want to follow. While school’s in session, it can be hard to fit an internship into your schedule; in the summer, however, you can devote more hours to the gig.

Unfortunately, just because you sign up to work a 40-hour work week from May to August, it doesn’t mean you’re going to get paid like a fulltime employee.

Many internships pay nothing. In fact, they often offer college credit as a means of skirting the salary, but in that case, you’ll find yourself coughing up summer tuition money just to work at the company that hired you. While there are plenty of paid internships out there, they usually offer a stipend rather than a modest hourly wage. So, if you’re going to be working your ass off, how do you decide whether the internship is worth it?

Paid internships certainly have a bit more sparkle at first glance. However, there’s a reason they call it an internship and not a job. Unless it’s a major company, you could probably make more money serving omelettes at Denny’s… but waitressing the third shift isn’t going to bulk up your resume. So, while you may be lucky enough to get paid this summer, you will have to figure out if you can live with a meager paycheck.

Paid internships may or may not be more challenging than an unpaid gig. After all, if you’re expected to work a full-time schedule, you’ll really become part of the office, and get to know your coworkers. You’ll be involved with bigger projects, because the bosses will know you can work on them throughout the week, rather than worry about you only tending to assignments on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday basis. Plus, if they’re bothering to pay the interns, they must think highly of the students they choose for the task, right?

Note that I said “may or may not” above. Many non-profit companies (or smaller businesses with less budget) employ a smaller staff than a Fortune 500 biz. In that case, you may be given a broad spectrum of responsibilities and may have the opportunity to develop a close relationship with your superiors. Any internship will probably require you to do a fair share of answering phones, photocopying, and filing, but you might also get to work for several different “departments” at an unpaid internship- especially if the department consists of one associate.

If you are moving away to do an internship, you should try to plot out how much your living expenses will be in an unfamiliar city. It can be more difficult to find a second job outside your home town, and, if you’re being paid at all, the internship might require more commitment. In reality, landing a paid internshp might not be as profitable, especially if you don’t have time to find another source of income.

Most employers usually appreciate their interns for working for free, and may be more lenient with the rules of the job. Many unpaid internships ask for less hours per week and try to be flexible with scheduling. This means that you can keep a few shifts at your regular summer job in order to pay for your gas to the internship!

Plus, unpaid internships come with some sort of business-related incentive, such as free parking permits or subway cards. You know, so you don’t lose money coming to work. Depending on the company, they may offer free meals if there’s a cafeteria in the building. If that’s the case, then hey- it won’t cost you anything besides time to go to work and the experience might help you get a higher paying job in the future.

There are pros and cons to either side here. If you are going to look into an internship, you should truly ask yourself what you want out of the experience and be prepared to ask questions before taking the job. If you’re not getting paid, it’s easy to get frustrated with menial tasks such as photocopying, filing, and going on Starbucks runs for the bigshots. Then again, an unpaid internship might be intimate enough for you to truly pick your boss’s brain during downtime and get a mentor out of the experience.

No matter what, my advice to future interns of the world is to take the next few months to try to save up and secure sufficient resources to provide for yourself over the summer – this way, you can choose the position that is truly best for yourself and your career goals, rather than only focusing on the monetary aspects of the job.

Personally, I’ve done my fair share of underpaid labor, whether in the form of an unpaid internship, paid internship, or a generally sh*tty part-time job that didn’t pay well enough. While the sh*tty part-time jobs did nothing but supply my weekend drinking funds, all of the internships let me walk away with something more valuable than money. I’ve been paid in experience, connections, all the coffee I can drink, and every random perk from catered meetings to free t-shirts to tickets to killer events. So while the payment issue is something that you should consider when taking one, the bottom line is that you won’t be an intern forever, so, for now, money shouldn’t be the first priority.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Craigslist, there is an individual site for most major cities across the US (and around the world, for that matter), e.g. losangeles.craigslist.org, boston.craigslist.org, and so on. Craigslist is basically a bunch of classified ads, and there’s a huge section of both “jobs” and “gigs” just waiting for you to stumble upon. So whether you want to splurge on a shopping spree, get your grandmother a birthday present, or actually buy your books this semester, look on Craigslist. I recommend browsing the categories “ETC” and “Event,” though if you have a particular talent or skill, you may want to look under “Creative,” “Labor,” or “Writing.”

Here are some of my favorite past Craigslist gigs:

1. Mock Juror

Listed under: Event

Paid: $60 for less than 4 hours

Perks: A 15-minute break, free coffee, soft drinks, and snacks, and cash payment.

I had to fill out a couple of surveys to qualify, but this gig was open to all ages, races, genders, and occupations. I had to go to a hotel meeting room and listen to the facts of a real case that hadn’t gone to trial yet. Then, all the participants had to discuss what they thought of the case, such as whether the prosecutors should clarify any of their evidence, or if the defense had any decent, er, defense.

2. Market Research Participant

Listed under: ETC

Paid: $75-$125 for about 2 hours

Perks: Cash payment, free snacks and soft drinks, and opportunities to join a market research database for later studies

I’ve done market research studies for people with no health insurance, bargain shoppers, and soda drinkers. Usually, you sit in a room with some other people (again, from all walks of life), and share your thoughts regarding the subject. “Yes, I would get health insurance if it was cheaper.” “I don’t shop at that discount store because it’s trashy.” Then you get paid. The only study that was different was the soda study, in which I had to press a button when I saw a certain word appear on a screen, and then watch some advertisements for said soda product. But hey, that one paid well, and there’s no harm in pressing a button for a couple of hours.

3. Door Hanger Distributor

Listed under: Event

Paid: $200 for a day’s work

Perks: $25 gas stipend

I can’t really call this one of my “favorites,” but it was the most profitable. Basically, I had to walk around for several hours and hang door hanger advertisements for a local ice cream shop on peoples’ front doors. It sounds easy enough, and I got to burn calories while jamming out with my i-Pod, but at the end of the day, I thought my legs were going to fall off. A few hours into the gig, I was cursing myself for responding to the ad, but a week later, when I was up $225, I forgot about my aching knees and the weird sunburn I got after missing a patch of skin on my back.

4. Freelance Writer

Listed under: Writing

Paid: $10-$50 per piece

Perks: Can become a routine gig, and it’s a job that can be added to your resume

I’ve written for various C-list posters, from a telemarketing script to restaurant reviews. Some jobs pay via Paypal, which is cool, because instead of blowing the money right away, I let it accumulate, and then transfer a couple hundred bucks to my bank account and go on a shopping spree. The most profitable freelance gig I’ve done earned me $50 for a 100-word anecdote. Not too shabby. If you’re into writing, I suggest looking at multiple Craigslist sites, especially the larger hubs in America like New York or LA, because you can usually telecommute and work these gigs from home, at all hours of the night.

I’ve found that an avid Craigslist whore like myself can earn a pretty chunk of change by doing odd jobs. Sure, they aren’t the most glamorous tasks, but you can make your own schedule, and usually average over $10 an hour for your work. Plus, you don’t have to deal with a shitty boss, and once the job is done, you’re done with the company altogether. Be weary of what posts your respond to, however — I don’t recommend responding to “Will Pay a Hot Girl to Escort Me to a Company Party,” and if you find a market research post that requires you to fill out a survey, or follow a link to qualify, it’s probably a scam. The good news is, the more comfortable you get with Craigslist, the quicker you’ll be able to find a job that suits you, and you’ll be able to weed out the whack job posters from the legitimate opportunities.

[What's the best job you ever landed off of Craigslist?]

• Think you’re going through a dry spell? “The average [amount of sex oppourtunities] in the engineering school is probably like once a semester.” Tragic. (Miami Herald)

• The French Prime Minister’s son likes poop. And Facebook! And embarrassing his family! (Telegraph.co.uk)

• “Having women well represented in the corporate boardroom can help improve financial performance.” Maybe with that extra money we can all get paid equally…maybe? (Yahoo!)

• Why is it that I could feasibly post a variation of this story everyday? Stop the madness! (Telegraph.co.uk)

• Some fat guy ate 21 pounds of grits and won $4,000. That works out to be about $190 a pound. It was for the glory, people! (seattlepi.com)