Did your summer internship offer fall through? Did your study abroad plans change? Did the start date of your full-time job or summer job get delayed? No matter the reason, here are 10 options for staying productive this summer:
1. Start a startup or personal project
Just because you don’t have a formal internship doesn’t mean you can’t still build your resume.
Think of the “Experience” section of your resume as five plots of real estate:
(1) brands (e.g. “Airbnb”),
(2) job titles (e.g. “Design Intern”),
(3) verbs (e.g. “authored,” “developed,” “presented”),
(4) nouns (“minimal viable product,” “HTML,” “CSS”), and
(5) numbers (“increased conversion rate by X%”).
If you team up with some friends, design a website, conduct market research, and build and test a prototype, you could emerge from the summer with just as—if not even more—impressive a set of resume bullet points than if you had worked full-time. Focus on highlighting your strengths and transferable skills. If you're unsure how much you can "stretch the truth," check out this guide on how much you can bluff in your resume and interview.
2. Pitch a pro bono project
The organizations you want to work for may not be hiring, but they still need help. It’s just that they can’t pay you and have even less patience to hold your hand.
Find a small business, startup, non-profit, or even a professor you are interested in and ask yourself, what could they be struggling with right now that I can help with?
Then, Google for the CEO’s email and cold email them with a proposal for a two-month-long project.
In your email, introduce who you are, what project you are proposing (including the objective you’ll try to achieve, the final output—the “deliverable”—of your project, the timeline of your work, and what you need from the company).
Put yourself in the shoes of your recipient. It’s easy to ignore a stranger who submits a resume to your already-flooded application portal.
It’s much harder to say “no” to someone who shows up saying, “I also went to ______ college and, like you, also ______ and ______. My summer internship unfortunately got canceled, but I am eager to earn some work experience and would love to help you develop a marketing strategy for reaching young people given ______ and ______. I am happy to work pro bono if you wouldn't mind offering me 30 minutes of your time for a check-in every two weeks until Friday 8/21. Would you or a member of your team be open to chatting further about what a project might look like? My availability is as follows: ______.”
Don’t copy the exact wording, but take the general idea and run with it. Volunteering could get you further than you ever dreamed—just ask former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
3. Take a credit-bearing online course
Summer is the perfect time to get ahead on required coursework for your degree. Consider enrolling in a particularly challenging or time-consuming class, like organic chemistry, while your schedule is lighter. By tackling tough courses now, you’ll set yourself up for a more manageable and less stressful semester later—and give yourself the best chance to excel academically.
4. Study for graduate school
GMAT, GRE, and LSAT scores are all valid for five years. If there is a non-zero chance that you will apply to graduate school during or shortly after college, you will have to take these tests sooner or later. You might as well get them out of the way now, when you have fewer distractions and when certain academic concepts are still familiar.
5. Learn a technical skill
Google for the full-time jobs you’d like in the future, open 10 different job descriptions, skim the skills and qualifications sections, and observe any patterns. What technical skills are listed? In what coding languages or tools do employers expect proficiency?
Then, look for any online courses you can access for free using your university email or ID. It can often be difficult to learn a new skill without being able to apply it in real life, so pair your learning with a personal project for greater effectiveness.
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6. Find a mentor
Go on LinkedIn and your college’s alumni database and search for people who are several decades older than you who make you think, wow, I want to be you someday!
Then, ask for an introduction (if you have a mutual connection) or send a cold email. In your email, introduce who you are, what you have in common, and what you are curious about. Ask for a 30-minute call and list your availability for the next two weeks to save your recipient from the scheduling hassle. Keep the email short and sweet like:
“Hi ______, My name is ______ and I am a ______ at ______ studying ______. Like you, I ______ and would love to follow in your footsteps. Might you have 30 minutes in the coming days to share your experiences with me? I’d love to learn how you ______. My availability is as follows: ______. Looking forward to hearing from you.”
If they don’t reply, try one follow-up after seven days. If you do end up chatting, refer to strategy #1 above and consider pitching a pro bono project! Even if the conversation doesn't go anywhere (and this will happen from time to time!), remember to still send a thank-you email. It could be a simple as this:
“Thank you for taking the time to chat. I appreciate ______ and ______. Looking forward to staying in touch.”
Building relationships with mentors and sponsors can be transformative for your career. For example, Ken Frazier, former CEO of Merck, credits much of his success to the mentors and sponsors who supported and advocated for him throughout his journey. You can read more about Ken Frazier’s story and the power of mentorship here.
Best case scenario: you build a relationship with someone with whom you connect every few months—and who ends up introducing you to a future job.
Worst case scenario: they don’t reply. There’s nothing to lose.
7. Reach out to "near peers"
Though older mentors are helpful because they can help you think long-term, people who are one to five (or even ten) years older can be just as, if not even more, helpful in the short run.
These are the people who’ve been in your shoes not too long ago and who are now in jobs that you’ll eventually apply for. Look for anyone who can see you as a younger version of themselves, whether because you both attended the same high school, came from the same background, studied the same major, and/or participated in the same activities.
8. Follow the latest trends and develop your own point of view
AI risks making many careers (that were once seen as stable) obsolete. One of the first casualties? Entry level jobs. And colleges—some of the slowest-moving institutions around—are barely keeping up with their curriculum.
As stressful as it may be to chase headlines constantly, you also can’t not follow the news—not when the future is unfolding right before your eyes.
Identify a few domains you are interested in—whether it’s digital marketing, sports, or cybersecurity—and set a daily or weekly Google Alert. Search for podcasts. Follow thought leaders on social media.
Most importantly, ask yourself three questions:
(1) “Where do I see this industry going?”
(2) “What might a career look like in this space?” and
(3) “What trends am I excited about (and could even turn into a personal project)?”
Taking the time to develop your own point of view (like the founder of Trader Joe's) can open up new opportunities that don’t even exist yet.
9. Refine your personal story
No matter what happens, you can be sure that you’ll be asked the following questions, whether at a job fair or in an interview:
(1) “Tell me about yourself,”
(2) “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
(3) “Why this job / industry?” and
(4) “How have you spent your time over the past few years?”
This is your chance to craft thoughtful answers to these unavoidable questions. For extra support, check out my How to Say It flashcards for professional communication, which include interview prep cards designed to help you answer these questions with greater confidence and clarity.
10. Build good habits
Establish a consistent sleep schedule. Block time off in your calendar to meditate and/or exercise (it could be as simple as downloading a 7 Minute Workout app, which is what I do). Make a goal to meet at least one new person each week. Without the structure of classes to tell you what to do when, now’s the time to develop good habits—ones that will keep you healthy and happy for the long run.
Transitions—like graduating or starting a new job—can feel overwhelming, especially when routines change and the future feels uncertain. But these moments are also opportunities in disguise. Think back to all the times you wished for just a little more time before a midterm, job fair, or interview. Like those moments, now is your hidden opportunity to intentionally invest in yourself and lay a stronger foundation for success. Take advantage of the opportunity.
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