NY/CT Intern (paid)

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  • Nostradamus0

    " If you do end up taking a paid internship, it wont be worth it, because it will be at some shit ass studio that nobody has ever heard of and all you will be doing is holding the art directors cock."

    lol, yeah, because the small studios are the ones so flush with cash that they can actually pay an intern. That's exactly how it works out!

    Look, a megastudio like Pentagram isn't going to pay you shit, and you probably aren't going to learn shit. It's resume filler for you, and it's a coffee getting gopher for them.

    A tiny studio also is going to be more like slave labor. No, they can't afford to pay you.

    But come on, you cunts have read Goldilocks. Find a studio that's just right. Not too poor they can't pay, not too big that their egos give them the superpower to render interns invisible coffee-fetchers. You're not going to get a valuable experience at a big firm. Maybe at a tiny firm. But you should be shooting for a medium sized firm, looking to grow, and needs more hands on deck.

    That sort of firm can at least swing minimum wage.

    It really comes down to respect. Who wants to work for a company that can't even respect its interns enough to make sure they can eat?

  • identity0

    ^ Thats a good point - payment IS important - I guess even for my non-paid internship i was "paid" in free meals and coffee with the boss (what was great was that more often than not we would grab breafasts/lunches/coffees together, which let me spend a lot of time with him in and OUT of the office and I could pick his brain a lot) - it was also 3 days/week and I worked full-time the other 4 days... It was a hell of a 3-month period during the summer, but it really worked out for me...

    I dont know if there is a definitive answer one way or the other - ismith - just take the sum of all the stories on here, average em' out and see what works out best for you. There is no sure-fire way to be successful - just keep working no matter what.

  • akrokdesign0

    if they pay, they probably just pay lunch money anyway. most of them won't pay. its like a indusrty standard. no matter how you like it.

  • akrokdesign0

    depending on where you trying to get internship also.
    some places are really full. ex. sagmeister, inc.
    you have to apply, at least a year head.

    • and Ive heard he is booked for the next 2 years... he's also spending a year in malaysia or something?identity
    • He spent time last year or something right next to my uncle in Connecticut.ismith
  • plusminusbox0

    Its hard to find a good paid internship. or any paid internship period. Specially if you are only 17.

    I was fortunate enough to find a paid internship.( I just graduated 4 yearcollege program) It's not as shitty as people say on this message board. I actually love it. It's definitely somewhere I want to be. But it's probably because it's a big firm whereas smaller firms don't do paid internship period.
    Good luck on finding your internship but I think you would have better chance by going to school before looking for one.

  • era4O40

    Such a lively debate for Monday...good luck, Ian! Wish I knew someone seeking interns (paid or otherwise).

  • alicetheblue0

    Just up- good luck!!!
    http://www.krop.com/jobs/y9nht/

  • armsbottomer0

    i don't think you're a quintessential douchebag if you want a paid internship (even if your 17), but you've got to get your priorities straight. do you want money, experience, or resume eye candy? as a current student whose taken decent paying shitty internships, and paying-for-coworkers-coffee-out... amazing internships, i'd much rather have the latter and also be working a part-time job at a cvs. what's the point of making the money you need at an internship if you're not going to learn anything from it? you'd be better off getting a full time job elsewhere that will be paying you a hell of a lot more. often, if you want to reap the true benefits of an internship, you've gotta swallow your pride (and utilities bills) and make some sacrifices.

    • * paying for coworker's coffee out of pocketarmsbottomer
    • <---- thisidentity
    • Priorities: money, discipline, experience, resume.ismith
    • If I were in a slightly better situation, I would agree 100%.ismith
  • ismith0

    Let me just point out the problem with getting a regular job: there are none where I am (forget jobs, there are barely three businesses). I drive 1.5hrs just to get to school, but I can't make that sacrifice to work a job that doesn't have anything to do with my goals, can't legally employ me for more than 35hrs/wk, and legally only has to pay me 85% of minimum wage for my first 6 months. If I have an opportunity, ANY opportunity at all to work in the city (or even CT/HV), it'll be my best shot at finding something better.

    And no, I can't work the days I'm at school– I have to leave at 7am and don't get back until 11pm. It's a bitch y'know, but I'm doing all I can or at least know how to deal with my situation (oh, and fuck all if I start thinking about paying for school next year...tuition's gonna be more than $2k that's for sure).

    • That being said, I have applied to the few local businesses around and got nowhere so far.ismith
    • (they just want hot young girls to work the storefront, and there are [apparently] enough of those here.ismith
    • Ah shit, I don't know why this thread had to go the way it did. Explanations are rubbish, I just need work!ismith
    • :\ismith
  • digdre0

    you go get that internship !

  • digdre0

    whats the deal, if your first day is all about making coffee i wouldn't even show up after lunch.

  • akrokdesign0
  • Etype0

    i've never heard of a 17 year-old intern

    • +1
      plusminusbox
    • That's because you're a hack that barely knows of a world outside deviantArt & QBNNostradamus
    • its always the dude that has the link to google... doucheEtype
    • lets see your resume bitchEtype
    • LOL sorry but yesterday your link was to google or qbn (because I wanted to see your site)ismith
    • Anyway, I'd really appreciate it if any disputes could be moved to another thread or something...ismith
  • ukit0

    Well keep looking ismith but be realistic. Earlier in the thread you said:

    "come December I'm out of a home so I need to be able to afford some living space, food, and a few other things"

    Now although I admire your ambition in finding a real design position/internship, I wouldn't be so sure of your chances of finding something that pays well enough to afford all of that. The job market being as tough as it is, you'd imagine most decently paid internships are gonna be snapped up by college students and recent graduates first. Doesn't mean it can't happen, but adjust expectations accordingly. If you need to pay rent and buy food and have no degree or professional work experience, I don't see how you can rule out a non design type of job, and trust me, we've all been there.;)

    • I'm being realistic, but it isn't really pertinent. Paid is a chance, unpaid is suicide.ismith
    • And I'll have a degree, however little it's actually worth, in May.ismith
    • *specifically how it's realistic isn't pertinent.ismith
    • Consider finding freelance work via the web - always an option and no degree or experience required, just a portfolioukit
    • +1 I am finishing up my internship right now. And two of the other interns at my work at actually graduated two y ears ago from college. So to get an internship as a 17 year old.. i dont know how that will happenplusminusbox
    • ago... so i dont see a 17 years old getting a chance... when even graduates are looking for internshipsplusminusbox
    • I'm out over $1500 from unpaid freelance work, which leaves a really bad taste. I'll still do it (and am) but it's hardly reliable.ismith
    • $250/wk (ideally) would easily be enough until I graduate, at which point I'll need a much better gameplan.ismith
    • you are not going to make that...
      Etype
    • I don't mean at one job.ismith