Let’s Discuss: I’m Sad Condé Nast Got Rid of Their Internship Program

Glamazons,

My first internship at a mainstream fashion magazine consisted of packing boxes, having crying fits in the bathroom stall and sneaking glances at the Editor-in-Chief’s office wishing I could be there one day.

I was a Junior at Columbia University at the time, pursuing a degree in English and earning my stripes in intense creative writing classes.

That made me qualified to write for The Mainstream Magazine — in my opinion, atleast — but not one story dancing in my pretty little head made it to the page during the three months I worked there. My job was solely to pack boxes and trunks, and fetch lunches.

I didn’t get an attitude or carry myself as if the job was beneath me. Instead, I packed those boxes and trunks like it was my life’s mission and then tried to (awkwardly) network with anyone in my path on my way to drop them off at the mailroom.

Yes it was drab and boring and humbling, but adding The Mainstream Magazine to my resume helped me land my next internship and eventually, the job that would start my career. That’s why it’s difficult for me to fully support Xuedan Wang‘s lawsuit against Harper’s Bazaar.

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Yes, rules need to be changed and wages increased but internships are never truly about the act of sticking tape onto a package all day and the small pay (or lack thereof) that comes with it. They are about laying the groundwork for a future successful career in the business. Understand that no matter how humiliating your To-Do list is, or how many times you have to make coffee runs, if you land an internship at a publication, you’re one of the lucky ones.

Once upon a time, I packed trunks in heels

To make due, I took a part-time job on the side. And I tried my hardest to shine at the internship because I realized that it’s incredibly hard to break into fashion. There are only a few avenues available, and to lose the opportunity for an internship is to forfeit one of the best ways to get in the door. You need experience and connections, and internships provide both — in a way that career fairs and conventions never will.

In a move that many believe to be a response to lawsuits filed by former interns at W and The New Yorker, Condé Nast is discontinuing its internship program starting in 2014, and other publishing houses may follow suit.

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Without internship programs, it will be infinitely harder for the up-and-coming generation of writers and editors to get their start. And it’s sad they won’t be able to build their career the way the rest of us did, one packaged box at a time.

There’s good news though. With the proliferation of digital and social media, there are ways to break into the business without landing an internship:

1. Start a blog.

If you aren’t given the opportunity to write at a publication, create it for yourself. Blogs are like portfolios and look great on your resume.

2. Network like your life depends on it.

Collect business cards, keep your contacts warm, request informational meetings and meet as many people as possible. Most job opportunities are communicated through word-of-mouth. If you make connections in the business, you are first of mind when jobs open up.

3. Embrace Social Media

Use social media to expand your brand and position yourself as an authority. With social media, you can build a following and establish a voice long before you are published. It’s a great tool to get noticed by publications and readers, alike.

What do you think about Condé Nast‘s decision? Do you think internships are beneficial?

Let’s discuss.

Kisses,

Glamazon Jessica