I called my dad, crying on the phone, telling him I was nervous about starting my new internship. I thought it was pointless. I had to commute a total of four hours into the city and I wasn’t even sure if I would like working at a modeling agency. He told me to try the first day out and that I could always quit if I absolutely hated it. So I dried up my tears and continued to walk the 1.5 miles to my new internship from the train station.
Millennials are the generation of wanderlust, starting a nonprofit business from scratch, or making millions off of a new app. So why was I so interested in building up my resume with a couple internships and jobs this past summer? I believe in combining that pure passion; that so many Millennial era adults are giving up traditional occupations for, and finding stability in a career path with practical goals. Sometimes I worry that so many Millennials today are passing up solid job opportunities simply because they don’t want to have a boss and would rather work for themselves in a hip new start-up business. I worry for my generation. I worry that so many people will continue to search for that passion their whole lives, and in that wandering, wind up completely lost, with no job, no money, and no home.
Sometimes we, as Millennials, have to put in the hard earned hours of doing a job that may lead to passion later in life. One may never know if one never tries.
Getting the internship in the first place was a struggle. I put in many hours of looking up places and applying online. In the end, sometimes some things are just meant to be. I sent in my resume to a particular modeling agency, thinking working there may be able to combine some creative aspects with business, and ended up setting up an interview. I had prepared for the interview by going to multiple other interviews for other internships and felt like my professionalism and communication skills were put to good use. The internship was offered to me on the spot and I gratefully accepted once I realized that all of my other opportunities for the summer were starting to fall through.
As I worked at my internship this past summer I realized things I never would have had I quit before I even started. I didn’t enjoy every second. Some seconds, minutes, or even hours, were very dull. Internships are glorified assistant jobs, sometimes even without the pay. But there are a couple key reasons that I am grateful I continued with the internship despite those dull hours, and would encourage others to try as well. I have always been inclined to artistic environments and I haven’t always known how to express that side of me. Being in the fashion world for a couple of months gave me an avenue to express my creativity . Working with models made me see that it is not an easy industry to be a part of and I also understood that to have a successful job in the fashion industry you will have to work a lot harder than you may have thought.
One event that I was a production assistant for was called the New Gen Show and it was held at a hotel close to the agency. This was a show where newer models to the agency, most of them younger ages, were showcased to other agencies and clothing companies. This was an event promoting the young models that now worked for the agency that I interned for and I had to make sure that everything went smoothly. In the course of that night I can look back and see how my organization, communication, and problem solving skills came to light. The hotel managers became angry at the modeling agency for letting anyone into the event and I had to find a way to make the agents happy as well as the managers. So instead of placing blame on anyone else I decided to take control and sat at a table and made sure to check people in or only let people I recognized into the event. I enjoyed being a central part to this big event and I loved knowing that I stopped an even larger argument to take place between the agency and the hotel.
In that particular summer I realized that I have a passion for fashion and organizing events. If I had not put in the countless hours of answering phone calls and going on coffee runs I would not have realized that I had those desires. So, instead of aimlessly dreaming and wandering, I would encourage the Millennial generation to prepare for interviews, perfect the resume, and put in the long hours so that a clearer passion can be realized in a more practical and goal satisfying way.