Internships: Not Just For College Anymore

By Jill Earl

Recently, I’ve had a number of conversations concerning my internship with WOW! Women On Writing. The two most frequent questions:

“Cool! How’d you find that?”

or

“Aren’t they for college?”

Not at all. Online internships can be a valuable resource in building a writer’s skills, adding experience and gathering clips for the portfolio. They’re worth a look.

Aren’t They For College?

As an English major, I hoped to participate in a writing internship or co-op during college. Since I was a full-time older student who also worked to support herself, that wasn’t an option.However, I discovered that the communications division of the Christian campus group I belonged to was looking for interns for the fall, but my application was forwarded to their media production division because they felt that that could be a better fit for me.

I was accepted, and the fall after graduation, moved to Wisconsin. As a production intern, I wrote scripts, assisted in filming video pieces, and transcribed interviews, among other tasks. Once I returned to my home state, family obligations restricted travel, so I searched for online opportunities.

As a result, I worked as a research assistant for Writer Mama author Christina Katz. And currently, I intern for WOW!, blogging monthly and assisting with the Premium-Green newsletter.

How Did You Find That?

I found my internships because I subscribe to the WOW! and Writers On the Rise (Christina Katz’s) newsletters and applied for their calls for interns. Your favorite search engine will yield numerous writing newsletters to check out and possibly register for. Look into others such as:

Newbie Writers
The Practicing Writer
Writer Gazette
Freelance Writer Online International

You may not find something right away, but performing a through search may yield the opportunity you’re looking for.

So if you’re looking for ways to develop and expand your writing skills, consider an online internship. They’re not just for college anymore.

Jill Earl

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