How I traveled the world one article at a time
About the Author: Sumedha Bose is pursuing B.A. in Sociology from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. She shares how an internship brought her closer to things she cherished – writing and exploring places.
Initially, I was hesitant to share my story because I am doing a work from home internship which lacks the glamour and the fun stories that come with an in-office internship. However, I went through the same struggles that most teens who are hungry for an internship go through.
I was looking for an internship to make a productive use of my free time and to add to my resume. I would be lying if I said the prospect of making money wasn’t a big factor itself. I had come to know about Internshala through my cousin when I was in class 12. My cousin had found extremely lucrative internship opportunities via that platform. I couldn’t register on Internshala at that time because I believed that internships required me to be a college student. I had waited, albeit impatiently, but hoped that it would be worth the wait in the end. I started building my resume and realised that I had certain skills that I could put to use. Being skeptical about finding an internship in Sociology, my field of study, I decided to give content writing a try. After all, I had always had a knack for writing.
I looked for a virtual internship since an in-office internship couldn’t be feasible due to my college timings. At first, it was disheartening as I got rejected left and right; however, these rejections made me patient and humble, taught me not to overestimate my abilities, and encouraged me to push harder. I couldn’t understand where I was going wrong but determined not to give up, I reworked on my resume. I added my MS office skills, mentioned that I was fluent in three languages and that I was familiar with blogging and using WordPress, and added that I had my own blog too. This improved my resume score significantly and when I applied for the fourth internship, it definitely proved to be decisive in my selection. I gave a Skype interview and got hired but on receiving the terms of the internship, I realised that I was going to be overburdened and underpaid. I declined the offer because my favorite villain had taught me – ‘If you are good at something, never do it for free’. I kept trying and finally landed an internship with a travel company, named Backpacker Panda. I was asked to submit a sample write-up. I submitted an article on ‘Infrastructure of Bangalore’, which I had written for a college magazine for a friend of mine. Since they just wanted to assess my writing skills, the topic didn’t make any difference. I was shortlisted for the telephonic round wherein they asked about my daily schedule, how many hours I could devote to the work, and whether I would be able to manage my studies and work together, etc. I was briefed on the exact nature of work and the remuneration I would receive for it. They were impressed with my write up and my interview went well too, so I was hired immediately.
Now, I get to write reviews of travel articles from the comfort of my home and the pay is pretty decent too. I’m given travel articles and blog links which I read thoroughly and review and/or summarise in a specific format given by the company. I provide blog links, article links, names of the authors, etc. to them and grade them on a scale of 10 based on various parameters. The internship has been really smooth so far and my love for both travelling and writing makes the job fun and passionate. Also, my mentor has been extremely cooperative. I keep adding my achievements to my resume from time to time. In the end, I’d like to give a cliched but important advice – ‘Rejection is inevitable; accept it and move on. Do not give up under any circumstances. Sooner or later, you’ll find what you’ve been looking for.’
Isn’t it fascinating – an internship that is a blend of writing and travel? Check out these cool writing internships and find out what life could offer you.
