Get Experience Anyway You Can
Tuesday, September 11th, 2007Andrew Webb grew up with dreams of designing for a living. “There aren’t many ways to make a living with your designing, but office design and home design was one of them.
After a few futile attempts to find a job, Andrew became desperate for experience. He found a large drugstore chain with an interior design until and offered to work for literally nothing. They took him up on the offer, and within weeks not only had he gained professional experience, but the drugstore decided to pay him for his efforts.
After working for a number of interior designing, Andrew went on to open his own graphics design and photography business. He often looks back on the offer to work without pay. “I just needed a chance, a start in this business, and I haven’t had to work for free since,” he says with a smile.
College students who served in internships were 15 percent more likely to find employment after graduation, and 70 percent believed they were better prepared for the workplace because of their internship experience.