Name: Jane Intrieri
Major: Journalism
College: DePaul University, Ill.
My DePaul University professors constantly preached the importance of having internships before graduating. By the time I graduated in March, I completed three unpaid internships.
I was connected to my first internship in my sophomore year through a family member. Along with the three-month, unpaid internship at WXRT Radio Chicago, I was required to take a class and work a minimum of 10 hours per week.
A year later, I applied for my second internship at another Chicago radio station, WTMX, via the career section on their website. I interviewed and was hired. At the end of my second internship, I was offered a part-time, $10/hour position.
One week before I graduated I found another unpaid internship through DePaul. I began interning 20 hours/week at a public relations firm called TriCom, on top of my part-time radio gig.
I started applying for jobs three months before graduation. I applied for over 100 jobs and only had two callbacks.
At the end of it all I received a call from BlueBolt Solutions, an interactive web development agency in Chicago. The partners were impressed with my internship experience, especially at a PR firm. I don't think I would have been hired anywhere if I didn't have experience through internships.
The day after my interview, I was offered a full-time marketing position and I started in April.
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