I learned from my uncle how important it was that I get an internship over the summer once my Junior year of college was complete.  Hearing those words really opened my eyes to reality.  For me this dates back to when my Dad pushed me to apply to a really good college when I was fresh out of high school.  Two scenarios in my life that would help me grow and become a better man!

I am now going into my Senior year at Penn State.  However, during my Junior year I took my uncle’s advice and began searching for possible internships.  It didn’t matter to me where they were, but I was hoping for something in the IT field.  Two problems I had to deal with were - I was a Management major and my G.P.A. was just under a 3.0.  Most companies looking for interns want someone with a G.P.A of 3.0 or higher.  With having applied to so many companies that I lost count, I began to get frustrated.  My G.P.A. I felt was holding me back and with the poor economy my chances of landing an internship seemed limited.

Through this process I remember my uncle saying to me, “internships are huge and can set you up with a career after college.”  Those words had me inspired and motivated.  Although, the more I tried, the more I was turned down.  No companies out there were interested.  I knew at this point I needed to do some things that would give employers positive first impressions of me.  I started off with putting together my resume and having it reviewed continuously until I had a perfect format.  I took advantage of the opportunities my college gave me.  Since there weren’t any companies interested in me, I felt I had to go to them myself and network.  That’s why I went to the career fair at my school where there were a ton of companies.

Going to a career fair was another piece of advice suggested to me by my uncle and I made so many contacts there talking to one company after another.  Handing out resumes and getting contact information is key! Finishing my Junior year of college with no internship wasn’t something I wanted to deal with.

Realizing that the internship seemed like a long shot, I decided I wanted to work towards becoming an Internet entrepreneur since the real world wouldn’t give me a break.  So, I started blogging and networking with all well known people on the internet.  I made some great connections on the internet and today I have more contacts there than in the “real world”.  Slowly, I have started making money online.  I was employed by Databanq as one of their 25 writers and I made money from doing product reviews for Expo TV.  I was becoming a better writer and better at networking over the internet.  However, I was at the very beginning stages of working towards becoming an entrepreneur.  I couldn’t survive on the money I was making at this point.   I knew I needed an internship and I needed a break.  However, I didn’t know who else to contact.  Then one day, I received an email that would change my life.

My uncle emails me saying, “send me your resume.”  After I had done that, he started networking with people he knew and having me contact them as well.  Pretty soon, I was developing contacts in the business world and then when I least expected it, with my uncles help I found an internship working at Alberto Culver.  I’m gaining so much experience there and it’s knowledge that will last me a lifetime.  This opportunity will open so many doors for me and all along my best contact was my uncle.  I still continue to work on becoming an entrepreneur and becoming affiliates for different companies.  What this shows is that networking does pay off.  Eventually everyone catches a break.

Look at me, I never thought I would have this opportunity and now I do.  I couldn’t be more grateful.  One thing is certain, I never gave up and that’s what I hope those of you walk away with after reading this post! Thanks for your time and for Martin allowing me to share this with you!

Frank is a blogger at Social Tech Zone where he provides news and opinions about social networks and technology.  He has a lot of knowledge on these topics and the posts invite discussion about his passions.