Sowmya Renukuntla: Working & Vacationing
This past summer, I got to spend two months with my relatives in India after not seeing them for a few years due to the pandemic. As much as I wanted to *only* spend quality time with my family, I also knew it was the perfect time to build on my resume and gain some valuable experience. Thanks to a reference from a friend (and fellow Leavey Ambassador), I was able to get a remote paid internship at a startup building a unique social media platform and continued it through the summer.
Coming into college, I was well aware of how important having an internship was during my junior year, but I wasn’t sure about what to do with the summer of my freshman year. In retrospect, while many of my friends did work full-time jobs or internships, many others spent their summers relaxing with friends and family. Finding a balance between both allowed me to reap the most benefits and come into my sophomore year with great memories and more experience under my belt.
As part of my internship, I was tasked with scouting for people to beta test the app’s new updates and create an ambassador program to kickstart marketing once the school year starts. Just like I scheduled my day during the school year, I planned my day with family around meetings and deadlines I had to meet. While it was sometimes taxing to spend the entire day out and come home to more work, it was exciting to know that I was making an impact at a company. By the end of my trip, I had learned a lot about work-life balance and how to manage my time efficiently. Once you come to SCU, you’ll find that classes don’t take as much time out of your day as they did in high school, so you’ll have plenty of time to join clubs, socialize, and get much-needed rest. On the other hand, summer internships can be much more demanding and can require up to 40 hours a week.
Working a small remote internship this past summer was the perfect segway for me to gain experience without quite having to put in all of the hours. I highly recommend enjoying your summer after spending a year adjusting to a new environment and new people, but try to do something that’ll help build out your resume as well. As a business student, having prior experience when applying to jobs is integral, so anything you can get along the way will be immensely helpful. Living in Silicon Valley, there are new startups every day looking for hardworking students to work on everything from budgeting to marketing, so start researching on LinkedIn or reach out to friends a couple of months in advance to find what’s best for you.
Keep in mind that there are so many alternatives to corporate internships that can show future employers important qualities like leadership, determination, organization, and more. Work at your local bakery, babysit, or build an app! Summer vacation got its name for a reason, so enjoy your summer and do what you love!