Not Getting Paid to Work... There's a Name for That??

Yes there is! The name for it is an internship and I wouldn't go as far as to say it's not paid. The payment is a bit different than you normally get but so is the work. Instead of money you get a great line on your resume and experience in a field you hopefully want to spend a good deal of your life in and that's certainly better than flipping burgers for cash.


So, my internship... what is it, how did I get there, and how do I feel about it?


In my search for an internship, which started around the beginning of July, I was given a tip by a friend who had just graduated from The George Washington University. She sent me a link to the website of the Democrats club on their campus which included a page listing internships which were Democrat-friendly. I, being a Democrat, thought it would behoove me to take a look at the link. Among the many options, my eye caught the Democratic National Committee. This being such a heated mid-term election I thought I would get the most out of my experience here in D.C. by interning for my party in a time of need.

            

The application was fairly extensive. It included listing the usual pedigree information and then went on to require a resume, three letters of recommendation and the answers to three essay questions. Once I had completed the application I received an email informing me that I had made it through the first part of the process and that I would then need to take part in a phone interview. I scheduled the interview and a few days later found myself sitting at my desk with both my laptop and desktop up and running so that I could scan both my answers to the essay questions and the DNC website for any questions I might not know the answer to even after researching the organization.

           

The phone interview went very well and without being too confident I decided that it went so well that I would be surprised if I was not offered a position. I was told I would hear of the decision by Wednesday, August 18th. This also happened to be the day that I was traveling to D.C. and so while I was sitting in Tenley Café, having my first meal on campus, I received the email informing me that I had been offered a position, but department placements had yet to occur.

            

I accepted their offer and told them I could start work on September 9th. About two weeks later I received an email which included the department placements for all of the new interns. I had been assigned to Human Resources. I was skeptical at first of how this department would relate to politics and the current election but I kept an open mind and decided not to say anything until I actually went into work and had a chance to get a feel for what the office tasks would include.


Unfortunately, thus far, I have done little more than data entry and not anything related to the current political environment. I hope as the internship goes on I have a chance to get involved with other aspects of the DNC's work and get the most out of my time here as an intern.

As I conclude, I feel it is important to mention that I have only had four days of my internship and that these views I am expressing are based solely on those four days and the discrepancy between my expectations and reality. I do sincerely hope that things improve as time goes on.

On a final positive note, the staff members in the HR department are great people and they are very easy to work with. At the very least, if nothing else works out, I know I am doing something to keep the bureaucratic process functioning so that the party can accomplish its goals without having to worry about whether or not its employees have health insurance, or are receiving their pay every other week. 

Stay tuned to find out what happens!!