Filed under: Internships
When considering internships, it is essential to ask questions about your specific tasks. For example, there are internship opportunities that offer a “household name” for your resume but your actual internship is not very challenging. In the long run, you will likely benefit more from a rigorous internship with a lesser known senator, think tank etc., then with a well known office that offers you only administrative tasks. The ideal is to find the internship in a prominent office that would afford you with opportunities to engage in substantive work.
Here is a prime example. Last summer, Aqsa Mahmud, a student in UGA’s Honors in Washington Internship Program, worked with the National Association of Counties (NACo) under the guidance of Jackie Byers, Director of Research and Outreach and a skilled mentor. Today, I received a copy of the publication that Aqsa authored, affirming the quality of her experience. While some students intern in Washington for the lone reason of adding a line to their resumes, this student left with a publication. Not too bad for eight weeks.
Aqsa Mahmud (far left), Jackie Byers (second from right) and other NACo staff.
