Best Fit Opportunity

What's funny about being a student at MIT is that there are so many opportunities. Do you want to be pre-med? We have an event for that! Do you want to learn how to use end note? The library is running a seminar on that! Do you want to learn about thesis presentation? These are the names, subjects and room numbers of the thesis defenses in your major!

A lot of these 'easy' opportunities are no longer beneficial to me. Often this is because I have already tried something similar. Somehow, I think I've come to a saturation point for CPW; I no longer enjoy the rush of students and events in the same way. I learned how to plan, register, advertise, and execute an event for both small and large groups of people. I don't need more practice at that skill. Other times, the opportunity simply isn't relevant to me anymore. It can be simple: I can't apply to scholarships for rising sophomores but I still get the emails! Or it can be complicated: there is an upper limit to how helpful career and major information fairs can be. To be clear, as a freshman and sophomore, these events were critical to me narrowing my interests. These events helped me in a process of elimination. I learned that I do better in one on one interviews rather than the rush of a career fair. I now focus my energy setting up meet ups and interviews rather than diluting it on prearranged opportunities where I do poorly. The easy opportunity doesn't fit me because I already used it to my best advantage.

Now, I'm searching for opportunities that are a good fit for me. I don't need generic opportunities that show up in email blasts. These well publicized events are often low effort and low impact. I've gone to dozens of seminars and talks due to publicizing emails; I don't remember any benefit from most of them aside from the free food. What I need are carefully tailored opportunities that fill in the gaps of my experience. These niche opportunities aren't well publicized or low effort, but often they offer a big impact.

The carefully selected (or created) opportunities are the ones that you both have the best shot at and will garner the most reward for. For example, my Smithsonian internship was intended for students who didn't have much experience working at a museum. That was exactly the opportunity I needed; I was exactly the candidate they wanted. Now that internship is the foundation for my resume, displaying my interest in the field and interpersonal skills.

No opportunity is going to be perfect. If you find an opportunity that inspires you but has a problem, pursue the opportunity and get creative in improving it. At the Smithsonian, I was disappointed I wasn't working directly with their conservation studio but I ended up befriending one of the interns and also going to the Museum Conservation Institute symposium. That experience was a stepping stone to the opportunity I have now at the MFA. The internship I have now was a perfect fit for my interest - working directly with research conservators - but I was worried that it didn't pay. So, I got creative and pursued funding from other sources. The extra work you put into tailoring a self-made opportunity will pay off! I can now write about my successful pursuit of funding in addition to my hands on experience.

You have to find an opportunity that is the best fit for you. In that moment, look towards where you want to be in the future. Identify the experience, skills, or qualifications you need to get there. Then find opportunities that fill those gaps. Clearly demonstrating your dedication and excitement for the field, you'll make important career connections. If you create opportunities, no one else applying for a job will have that same unique experience and resulting skill. Focus on the best fit opportunities once you know what you want!

Summer Internship: 2014 at the Museum of Fine Arts!

I posted last year about what I brought to my summer internship at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Now I'm posting about what I'm bringing to my internship at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Isn't that crazy how long it's been?! I can barely believe it!

I'm so excited to be working at the MFA this summer. I'm in the Research department of Conservation, working under the guidance of two amazing conservators. I worked with them throughout this year, coming in during January's IAP term. It was amazing to go through the process of a literature search. Seeing how all of those journal articles turn into new research: what a dream! Now I get to apply the protocols that I helped to design for what could very well be a published research paper.

Read more to see the outfit that I put together and what's in my work purse!

I'm using the same purse, but what's inside is pretty different. I'm trying something new for my images! Please let me know what you think of this type of style! Do you like the compilation? Any suggestions?

• Lab note book
• iPad
• Phone (I got a new case!)
• Owl writing pad
• Post it note pad
• Make up & hair serum
• Granola

You might notice that I'm not bringing any pencils with me. That's because I'm only supposed to write in pen in my lab notebook; it would just be too much temptation for me. However, there are some areas of the museum where you cannot bring pens in! It's a conservation concern. Fortunately these areas always have pencils on hand.

Here's the outfit that I'm going to be wearing, this dress and this silk scarf. I absolutely love this dress with it's little bow details and swooshy skirt!

Now I know that it might seem very plain without any jewelry. But I can't wear any jewelry since I will be working in a lab! Jangling bracelets and hanging necklaces are all a risk to the art. I can wear earrings. And since the lab is pretty lax due to a lack of dangerous materials, you can wear short sleeves and skirts.


Grab your own silk scarf at Modcloth!

 

(Modcloth, $23) (Modcloth, $16)

If you want to apply for an internship you can at the MFA's internship opportunity page. Internships really are amazing opportunities and the MFA has so many great positions to learn and network from. Check it out for the upcoming fall term!

What to do when your internship ends?

So my internship ended yesterday!

Huzzah for getting through the internship!

But there's still plenty of time until I head back to school, almost a whole month. So what do you do now?

Read more to find out a few productive and fun ways to spend the in between time.

Wrap things up from your internship

This involves writing thank you letters to those who helped you during your internship, people who interviewed or mentored you, any people who you owe gratitude to.

Keep this contact information for future use. A name, telephone number, email address, and business address are good to have on hand for asking for recommendation letters or just to check in.

Also, compose a list of things you did during your internship. Focus on what you will use to get other jobs or in you intended profession. You might be amazed by the diversity of things that you did. Composing this list while things are still fresh in your mind will lead to a more accurate and complete description of skills that you've learned.

Now that you have a list of things you did and learned, use that list to update your resume.

Plan for the fall semester

I've been planning out my courses for the fall semester, figuring out what my schedule will be like. Adding in the school's academic calendar dates like holidays can get you started on your calendar and give you a good sense of pacing.

Having a good sense of what your fall will look like may motivate you to do some preparatory reading over the summer or to get in touch with a professor. I'm also starting to look at how much my textbooks will cost. Saving up for textbooks or lab fees can be quite a feat!

On that note, if you want to have a internship for the fall, you will probably need to start your search now to send out applications towards the middle of August. If you need to apply separately for funding, the search will be a bit more intense and may end up being the objective of this month.

Plan for the next summer

What are you going to be doing next summer? Don't know? Find out.

Try contacting the internship office where you were working this summer. Try reaching out to professors; likely they'll ask you to check in later but asking early will already put you on their mind when applications open.

Do you want to study abroad? Check out what your school has to offer. There's probably a study abroad office. You can also check with your department to see if any professors have travel planned or contact with international countries. Volunteer work can be another way to get out of the US. Planning your study abroad will likely take a lot of time, especially if you are looking for funding or have never been out of the country before.

Personally, I'm going to be asking around about study abroad. I'm going to try to apply for MIT's  MISTI program with the goal to have a museum internship in Europe. I've already made an appointment for when I get back to campus.

Fun things

You should be having some fun during your summer. This is a break from the rigour and schedule of school and work, which should be taken advantage of.

I'm going to be going to Otakon and hanging out with friends. Figuring out when these things will happen and organizing for us all to get together takes time if I don't want to be stressed as I scramble at the last minute.

Take time for your extensive or time consuming hobbies. Read books! Read lots of books! Work on a craft project that you've put aside for a long time.

Travel and take advantage of the things happening where you are. Since I'm in D.C. there are tons of free and fun events for me to go to which I'm going to try to take advantage of.