So I had forgotten that this blog existed. Regardless, here is my second and last blog post of the semester.
It is close to the end of the semester for my internship class, and I had finally found internships to complete! For one, I will be working on a decently-sized website for an indie record label. This website will include a store and custom imagery and pages. For the second project, I am working on a small community website for a small town in Wisconsin. This website will feature some company documents and links.
During my progress through these two projects, I have learned a lot about the importance of communication. Communication can be tough with remote projects like this, but with regular updates and asking enough questions, remote projects like these can become easier!
I’ve also learned more about the process of working with a client. On top of creating a point of concept (“POC”), budget, and hourly log – I’ve learned more about making mock-up websites, and making a sort of outline for a website. These are skills I can’t wait to use in the future!
Over the course of about two years, I’ve been trying to find an internship in my field. I currently go to college as an aspiring Web Designer and plan on graduating in December of 2023.
Briefly, I’ll be discussing different tools that I’ve been using to find an internship – and also some things to look out for.
Photo provided by Unsplash and Bastian Riccardi
There are three tools that I have used for internship finding and these tools have been used for finding jobs, communities, and educational opportunities. These tools include LinkedIn, Indeed, and Handshake. All three of these tools I have used at my disposal for around two years. In looking for internships on these job boards and apps, I’ve noticed a big trend with internships – especially IT-centered internships; most of these internships are remote.
This, for me, is a good thing considering I currently live in the middle of nowhere in the lovely little state of Iowa. However, I have run into some issues when it comes to remote internships that I’d like to discuss. One of which is that plenty of these “remote internships” are scams. Over the course of my trying to find an internship, I’ve run into around 5 scams. These scams will usually present themselves as a remote internship or a remote job looking to take and use people’s information.
Another note to keep track of when it comes to remote internships is that a lot of them don’t pay well – or at all. This could be because businesses have to rely on their internee’s skill of independent work… And also lacking a physical supervisor checking in on them. Now a lot of remote internships will require internees to keep logs, fill out time stamps, etc. to keep track of money, time, and hours. However, a lot of businesses seem to worry about the quality of work when it comes to someone working indecently in their own home. I feel like in part a lot of businesses learned to adapt to this and push those worries aside – especially when COVID-19 came around. However, I feel like it’s important for someone looking for remote internships to have some sort of online experience. Whether it’s online schooling or a previous job that had to go hybrid. As someone with around 8 years of online schooling experience, I’ve learned a lot when it comes to independent learning, timing yourself, and deadlines (even though I have ADD – which has been a slight struggle in the past when it comes to focusing).
Photo provide by Unsplash and Jason Goodman
The last part of remote internships that I’d like to discuss is the lack of having a physical place and team. Now with remote internships and jobs, you obviously will have physical people working with you – but not in person. This can be a struggle for a lot of people because it can hinder someone’s motivation, and sense of community in the workplace, and give a lack to the internship experience too. The biggest part of doing school online, doing internships remotely, and looking for remote jobs is that I’ll have missed that in-person experience when it comes to a professional workplace. At the same time, however, I’m used to working at home and still working to enjoy life with other people. Though I would love to have a physical, in-person internship, I wouldn’t mind having a remote internship and being in a setting that I’ve been adapting to for years.
