U.S. Green Building Council New York

Organization: U.S. Green Building Council New York

City: New York, NY

Unpaid

I interned here in the Spring of 2009 and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in green building or sustainable development. While my tasks are often tedious and consist of lots of data entry, there are also some really fun projects that interns are assigned to. I have worked on putting together educational events that are hosted by teh USGBC as well as picking “sustainable menus” for events. I would say that one of the most satisfying parts of working at the USGBC is working with some really great, fun people who are all interested in working for a great cause. I have met some wonderful people in the office as well as at networking events outside of the office sponsored by the USGBC. Another great perk about this internship is the free access to events and LEED workshops. If you’re looking to get LEED certified, this is a perfect opportunity. With free study classes and potentially free LEED exam registration, this is an incredible opportunity to get a head start in the green building field. Employers really respect the USGBC and it’s contributions to the green industry, so this is a great resume addition.

MADRE- Programs Department

Organization: MADRE

City: New York, NY

“Paid”- $10/day

I had a terrible experience working for MADRE.  The organization is an established women’s human rights non-profit that works around the world.  As an intern for the programs department, all I really did was do online research or translate from English to Spanish and vice versa.  The thing I really hated about the experience was that no one spoke to me.  My boss, Natalia Caruso, had no interest in me other than the work I produced and never even asked me what my major was at school.  No one else in the office even bothered to introduce themselves.  I was never invited to meetings or even to eat lunch with others.  They simply shoved me in a dingy office by myself and gave me things to do.  My boss was not very good at communicating what she wanted, and then acted annoyed when I asked clarifying questions.  Perhaps my experience would have been different if I had worked in a different department, but stay away from Programs, people!!

The Transgender Project, National Development and Research Institute

Organization: The Transgender Project, National Development and Research Institute

City: New York, NY

Unpaid

This internship was one of the best experiences I’ve had.  This research study followed 600 transgender people for a few years, mainly focusing on HIV and general health.  The surveys were lengthy and both English and Spanish speaking subjects participated.  Working at the study really gave me a good understanding of what it’s like to conduct public health research.  My supervisors, Dr. Larry Nuttbrock and Monica Macri, were both extremely generous and helpful.  They both took a genuine interest in me and tried to explain things along the way.  I did a fair amount of clerical work (checking that each question on surveys was completed, data entry) but I also got to do cooler projects (figuring out coding for one section of the survey, coding it, changing qualitative data to quantitative data).  And the nice part was that when I did have to do clerical work, Monica would be doing it as well, so I never felt like I was a slave.  They were extremely appreciative of my help and they engaged me in intelligent discussion frequently.  Unfortunately, the research study is closing down in the next few months, but if you ever get the chance to work for either of these people, you should!!

U.S. House of Representatives- District Office of Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney

Organization: U.S. House of Representatives- District Office of Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney

City: New York, NY

Unpaid

This internship opened my eyes to the world of politics and made me realize that people work too hard and make too little in this field.  I learned a lot throughout my time at the office, particularly about writing congressional correspondence and dealing with constituents.  The various people that worked at the office were mostly friendly, though they were stressed out the majority of the time.  My proudest accomplishment during this internship was writing several pieces to be put in the Congressional Record.  That was pretty cool.  However, they had trouble keeping me busy, and the days often passed very slooooowly.  I think part of that was being at Rep. Maloney’s Disrict Office, where she usually isn’t.  The thing I really didn’t like about the internship though was that Rep. Maloney never once spoke to me.  I was never introduced to her, though I worked there for a whole semester and saw her at the office several times.  I felt underappreciated and that she was kind of rude.  Otherwise, it was a good glimpse into what being a legislative staffer is like.

CNN- Anderson Cooper 360

Company: CNN – Anderson Cooper 360

City: New York, NY

Unpaid

I can’t comment completely on this experience as I’ve only been here for about a month. That being said, I have thoroughly enjoyed working at CNN. I feel like the company has a very well structured intern program that is focused on incorporating it’s interns into everyday work tasks as well as training them extensively. I have attended training sessions on various news-related software that have not only boosted my resume, but also my work skills. The staff is very friendly, and us interns are utilized by all types of staff members. I find that I am busy the vast majority of the day, and the work day goes by very quickly. If you are interested in hard news and politics, CNN is definitely a great opportunity. I have heard that the internship is very competitive, but it’s absolutely worth the effort. I wish I could elaborate more!

MSNBC- Morning Joe Show

Company: MSNBC – Morning Joe

City: New York, NY

Unpaid

Morning Joe boasts a small staff of very friendly, albeit busy, people. This was my first television experience and I learned a lot about how a show is put together. That being said, Morning Joe is not scripted, so it functions differently from some other strictly news programs. Working at NBC was a rewarding experience, they plan a lot of intern events and also offer a lot of support for interns and are very interested in retaining interns for future internships and full-time positions. However, they are a very large company and there is little attention paid to interns personally – it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. I’ve also heard from other interns that many NBC shows do not appreciate their interns and pages. I did experience a lack of initiative among the staff to interact with the interns at my show, but I chalked it up to how busy they were, and the fact that my show did not appoint an intern coordinator because it was such a small group. If you are interested in a career in TV, I would definitely recommend getting an internship at NBC, and if you like it stay on for as long as possible. NBC hires most people from inside the company, and getting your foot in the door is a good first step. Just be aware that you are viewed as more of an intern than a valuable member of the team.

CosmoGIRL!

Company: CosmoGIRL! Magazine (Hearst Corporation)

City: New York, NY

Unpaid

Unfortunately, CosmoGIRL! Magazine no longer exists, but hopefully this review can give you some insight into working with other publications at Hearst or other teen magazines. I really enjoyed working at CosmoGIRL! because of the structuring of their internship program. Everyone was paired with an editor, so I got a lot of one on one time with both the Executive Editor and her assistant, who was an entry-level editor. All interns also wrote weekly blogs, which I know that some other teen mags do as well. We were also invited to monthly staff meetings, and we had weekly brown bag lunches where various staff members would speak to us about their positions and career paths. I was also involved with some high profile events that CosmoGIRL! put on, such as their Born to Lead Awards event. Overall, I realized that I personally wasn’t interested in writing on the content of the magazine, but I learned an amazing amount about how the magazine industry works, and I value the experience very much.