I made a very interesting discovery at work yesterday (we’re researching investigative story ideas), and if any of you readers live in NYC and spend time outside of the Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods in Union Square, you may have witnessed what I’m about to discuss: The Freegan Movement.

Freegans are people (sometimes homeless, but often not) who commit to living a life of limited participation in the conventional economy. They believe that food and shelter are a right as opposed to a privilege, and they are opposed to the fact that homeless people live on the city streets when there are vacant apartments that exist under the grip of capitalist landlords.

So they go scavenging, or “dumpster diving,” for unspoiled food that has been thrown away, and they often recover non-food items like toiletries and electronics. Freegans (a combination of the words “free” and “vegan”) essentially oppose the purchase of any item in attempt to boycott the corporations responsible for human rights violations, environmental destruction, and animal abuse. Read More »

After sweating, slaving, and stressing over my resume for what felt like weeks, and checking Mediabistro and Ed2010.com for journalism internships like a madwoman, I finally landed myself a job at one of the most successful women’s magazines in the country. For the sake of anonymity, I’ll withhold the publication’s name – for now, at least.

But I will share all my experiences with you every Wednesday in hopes that you’ll have some pity for a poor, unpaid, slave (oops), learn something about the publishing and journalism industry, and enjoy my tales of development and debauchery in the Big Apple.

After only my second day, here’s what I have to report:

The copy machine really is every girl’s BFF…
I’ve spent more time staring at this over-sized piece of mail-room machinery in the past 48 hours than I have into my boyfriend’s pretty brown eyes, and I think there’s been more physical contact, too. Copying should be in BOLD print in any college kid’s intern description. This is unpleasant for two reasons: One, I have worn my new fabulous Moschino heels two days in a row, and this makes standing over my sad little grey friend a bit uncomfortable. Two, I think I have three paper cuts. Oh and three – HOW HARD IS IT TO COPY YOUR OWN SH*T! Read More »

I’ve grown up a lot in the past week. How could I not with all the positive encouragement from the commenters last week? I got up off the couch, got a pants suit, and got a job with benefits. Well I got off the couch… and that’s a start.

This past week I went to a BBQ at one of my few (I’m talking 1.5) remaining high school friend’s houses. I don’t know why the adults there think that the best side dish to ribs is asking me about my future. I had cole slaw hanging out of my mouth half the time as I explained that, yes, I was doing an internship; no, it was not paid in any amount that can support me; no, there are no health benefits; no, they are not hiring at the end of the summer; yes, that’s definitely potato salad hanging in my hair (the most asked question of the day).

I’m about ready to start making flashcards with my plans to hand out to people rather than spend four hours attempting to justify why I thought it was a good idea to get an internship instead of a job after graduation. Apparently some people don’t keep up with the news and are unaware that most of the class of ‘09 did not graduate with job offers.

I’m pretty sure I  sound angry. But I’m pretty sure that anger is one of the stages in the grieving process. Last week was denial and I think next week is hunger…but I’m no doctor, so I can’t verify that.

But I am starting to slowly move on. And, like I said before, I’m practically a functioning adult now. I’ve taken a liking to cottage cheese and I think that habit places me around 75 years old. I guess it’s one new grown-up habit a week from now on. Who knows what I’ll pick up this week. Maybe learning how to file taxes? Or perhaps how to shop at Chico’s?

It’s all up in the air for right now.

Learning the ropes of an internship is one thing, but becoming accustomed to a big city for the first time while starting an internship can make those first few days all the more nerve wracking.

After scoring two internships in New York City last summer, I couldn’t have been more excited – and then the realization of living alone in a city I didn’t know anything about terrified me. From the moment my plane landed at La Guardia, I was a nervous wreck until I made it through my first few days.

By the end of my time as a summer intern, though, I had the interning and city gag down pat. In fact, I couldn’t get enough, so I decided to come back to New York in January to intern again. With three different internships under my belt in one of the biggest cities in the world, here are some tips that helped me become a big city intern faster than I thought was possible. Read More »

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. Read More »

During my junior year of college, while studying abroad in Sydney, Australia, I landed an internship at Cosmopolitan magazine.

After six months of getting editors coffee, reorganizing the beauty closet, and transcribing celebrity interviews, I was convinced that I was destined to not only work for one of the top women’s magazines but that, the minute I once again stepped foot in the U.S., it would be an absolute piece of cake to land an internship at Cosmo or any major magazine.

It wasn’t. As soon as I got back in the spring, I sent my resume and cover letter to almost every editor at every major women’s fashion and lifestyle glossy. Some never even responded. Others emailed me back saying that my credentials were great but they had already selected their summer interns. Still, other editors did call and interview me and I was offered a few positions, but there were only for openings that were three days a week unpaid. In New York.

I don’t think so. Read More »