Let’s cut to the chase: I don’t know how to find opportunities. I’m the daughter of an immigrant and I’ve spent most of my adolescence tending to the needs of my mother as her translator, as she doesn’t speak a lick of English. Because of that, I’m really behind my peers in terms of volunteering and other extracurriculars, and I want to change that. I have a big interest in graphic design, philosophy, politics, the environment, reading… honestly, I would just be thrilled to do anything that would get me out of the house.
Do any of you have any ideas as to how I can get started? Any national programs/programs you know of that I could get involved in? I only just learned about the White House Internship program, so if there are other similar programs that you guys know about… I’d really be thankful to hear about that too. Are there any platforms to look for opportunities and volunteering? I’ve been really interested in creating a group at my school where we talk about complex issues and find common ground, bring in speakers to discuss these issues, and maybe even do service activities. I don’t know how to really facilitate that, so I’d need to figure that one out.
Any advice that you guys may have would be very much appreciated, even if it seems like common sense. A shot at the night would be a miracle for me.
Thank you guys!
I’m a sophomore in high school, but I’m really open to any sort of opportunity be it tomorrow or in college.
First of all, good for you for being so pro-active! I don’t usually write much on internships/opportunities, but as the (formerly) poor kid of immigrants myself, I felt really compelled to respond.
I’m so glad you’re thinking about opportunities already, because that will honestly be the difference between struggling your entire life vs. getting ahead in this country. Two harsh realities (which I’m sure you already understand): 1) Other people (even many poor Americans, actually) will have connections of some sort, whereas you’ll have to go out and look for them on your own, and 2) Every one of your failures will be magnified twice as much as other people’s, and it will take you 2x as long to rebound (I speak from experience). Not having a safety net sucks. That said, I’ve turned being born into poverty and first-generation-everything into an advantage: I hustle like none other. Here are some specific tips:
- If you’re just looking to volunteer or get something on your resume, go to Idealist.org and look up volunteer jobs. It may be in your area (if you live in an urban city), or you may be able to find something remotely (go to “remote” on the left side side of the screen; make sure you don’t type in anything for “location,” otherwise it will show zero results). Here’s a tip: the smaller/less-well-known the place is, the easier it will be to get selected. It can be strangely competitive to volunteer for free (if the organization is well-known/prestigious)!
There is also a website called Volunteer Match, but I personally think Idealist has better, more interesting opportunities.
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Start small. You don’t need to do a White House program (though you can certainly try, if you have excellent grades). But if you don’t have a perfect academic record, you can start small and work your way up. My first job the summer out of high school at a local publishing company proofreading for $10/hr. The summer after my sophomore year, I worked for the ACT. That crappy $10/hr job was what got my foot in the door at the ACT, where I was competing against summer interns from much better schools (including grad schools) with presumably better grades.
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Cold-call (or rather, cold-email) like crazy. The summer after my freshman year of college, I actually got a pretty decent-paying job at a law firm in downtown St. Louis. They never posted an ad; I just literally emailed every law firm in St. Louis asking if they wanted clerical assistance for the summer (and that I could type 80 WPM, etc, etc.). I was prepared to work at a low wage again, but lucked out with this particular firm and was paid at the same rate as all their legal assistants. I’m not from St. Louis, I had no ties to St. Louis (a notoriously insular city), but I still got hired. Persistence pays off; you just have to devote a lot of time and energy to doing this. You could do this w/ advertising agencies (target their graphic design departments), or political research firms, think tanks ,etc.
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Apply for jobs even if you’re not completely qualified. I know a lot of people feel weird doing this, but it’s seriously been one of the best strategies throughout my career. It’s also how I got the job at the publishing company right after high school; I was competing with COLLEGE grads, but because I applied anyway (they were surprised by my eagerness) and was willing to take $10/hr, they hired me.
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Be willing to prove your work (and your worth). You said you’re interested in graphic design. Do you have a portfolio? If not, make one. It doesn’t cost much money to throw up a website these days. You’re interested in government – volunteer for a campaign or a cause; there’s no age limit for that stuff. Get involved and then use those people as references. You need to show results; if you can do that, you can overcome the lack of connections/privilege.
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Apply for the U.S. Department of State Benjamin Gilman Scholarship in college. If you are Pell eligible and have decent grades, you could potentially study abroad for free in just about any country in the world. In addition, it looks amazing on your resume afterwards.
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Make looking for opportunities your part-time job/hobby for life. I’ve done this the last two decades. Even when I’m “set” (working FT, having a side business, volunteering, teaching, etc.), I’m always on the lookout for new/different opportunities. Most people wait until they lose their jobs or hate their jobs to start looking. You don’t even have to leave your job, there may just be another opportunity in addition to what you’re doing (i.e. politics, writing, etc.).
*Edit: some of my multi-passionate friends have trouble explaining #7 to people, because they don’t want to appear flaky or as if they can’t commit to any one thing. The solution: you don’t HAVE to tell everyone every single thing you’re working on. If you’re applying for a writing opportunity, highlight your writing-related experience. If you’re applying for graphic design, bring a portfolio and highlight related work. You don’t have to try to explain how you’re interested in a billion different things.
Good luck!