Go Do an Internship! You Won't Regret It

I wish I had done more internships while I was in college. Thankfully I have this year to make up for that, but its a little easier to fit them in while classes are the only thing to worry about. Several of my Messiah College history major friends did anywhere from 3-5 internships during their four years! Aside from a small internship at the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle during my junior year, I probably could have made room for more. Even if you can only fit one internship in during four years of college, definitely make it a point. Here are a few reasons why I think it's so important:

1) Not only does it provide a good line on your resume, but I imagine that it shows prospective employers and graduate schools that you are really serious and earnest about your interest in history, whatever that may be specifically. Of course I'm only on this side of the process so I can't actually vouch for that myself, but I trust my professors to know what they're talking about!

2) Internships allow for gaining hands-on practical skills, especially if you are thinking about public history. I learned so much in my history classes at Messiah College that is vital to the historical profession. Yet it's only through my internship that I can learn how to navigate the PastPerfect system, understand terms like "accessioning" and "deacessioning," and try my hand at contributing to a new museum exhibit.

3) You can figure out what you like and don't like. I struggled (and still am) to figure out what I'm specifically interested in when it comes to public history. Museum education, objects, archives, and so much more are all  great possibilities. So by interning, I have the curator, the archivist, and many others all at my finger-tips to ask questions of and get a feel for their positions.

4) And most importantly, it's so much fun! I started the semester by researching the story of an early 19th century Lancaster County female artist who was related to many wealthy and important men. It was hard to find anything about her, so the task required some creativity, determination, and serious deciphering of awful handwriting, but I finally came through with a few great primary sources that turned out to tell hilarious stories! The project was like detective work. I've had to set that aside for awhile to help put together a temporary exhibit, but I have enjoyed  every moment of my internship thus far.

The moral of the story: go do an internship! You won't regret it.