As I sat in my dorm room, waiting for the editorial assistant at Woman’s Day Magazine to call me for my interview, I remember reflecting on my desire to understand how the professional world worked. Perhaps, looking back, it was not a great time to question my lack of knowledge on professionalism. Being a 21-year-old college sophomore, I hadn’t truly experienced the serious working realm of things. Of course, I’d held summer jobs at restaurants and as a babysitter, but the prospect of launching a career felt like a distant world. As I waited nervously. I imagined sitting in a whirling office not understanding the buzz and the commotion that goes into running any kind of company or business. And then the phone rang. 

Fast forward to June 6.. I sat on the train in my blue dress and my uncomfortable flats. I was headed into the Big Apple for my first day as the features intern at Woman’s Day. Things went smoothly and everyone I met was kind and understanding of my status as a student and an amateur. The six weeks that followed included early mornings and long days commuting in and out of New York City. Though the 7:21 a.m. and 5:55 p.m. train rides made me miss my 10:25 a.m. classes, I learned so many valuable lessons as an employee at such a successful magazine, owned by the multinational conglomerate company: Hearst. I learned how to help customers who lost recipes or articles from older issues, which taught me how to dig through archives and old copies to retrieve what was needed. I compiled articles and information for upcoming feature stories and I also learned how to work in a whole new kind of setting with new kinds of people. I finally understood how to be a part of a big business.

My internship would not have been possible without the Office of Career and Professional Development. The office works with students to ensure that their careers after graduation have been planned out and thought through. Upon my arrival at Connecticut College, I quickly learned the advantages  of having an adviser who can teach you to write a resume, ace an interview, and  find a job for yourself. Every student at Conn is assigned a career adviser who makes it their mission to ensure that your potential career aspirations become actual realities. I found out about the Woman’s Day position through one of the office’s weekly emails about potential internships/job opportunities. The support I had from Conn made it possible to try out a career that may potentially become a permanent one. Though the career office is helpful in every aspect of the job and internship search process, career fellows (highly trained paraprofessional student staff) and advisers also leave a fair amount of it up to you. As Conn continually exemplifies, the school has mastered the art of guiding you through college with the help that you need and the freedom that you want.