Now that you’re about to be on break from school and you’ve landed (or are looking for) that summer internship, what can you expect? And what is the best way to make the most out of it? Here are five tips from my own experience:

1. Arrive early, stay late. This will show your dedication and drive to excel and learn the most you can. It’s important to be able to have references for future jobs and if your supervisor can speak to your punctuality, you’ll definitely be looked at as a stronger candidate. If you begin to slack and are late, then you may be looked upon as unreliable and disinterested. Kevin Johnson, the head athletic trainer of NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, is definitely supportive of this “Arrive Early, Stay Late” attitude.

2. Do what’s asked of you. Though it may be frustrating to be sitting at the copy machine for a majority of the day or sorting through tons of mail, you must remember that you need to pay your dues in order to get to the top. A lot of internships do give you hands-on experience in your field, but sometimes you need to do the tasks that no one else wants to do. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. However, if you are not learning anything from your colleagues or are being forced to do things you don’t feel comfortable doing, you may want to talk to someone in charge. You’re an intern, not a slave.

3. Observe. Be sure to watch the tasks that full-time employees complete. If you’re at an internship, it’s probably because you’re interested in the company or industry. By watching the daily job functions of those who have been at their job for a while, you’ll be able to get a sense of what working in the real world will actually entail.

4. Ask questions. Working is a learning experience, even after you’ve joined the real world ranks. It’s likely that your superiors know more than you do, but they are still learning things themselves. Ask them about anything you are unsure of because they’ve already been in your position. Many supervisors are interested in you as a person and your personal goals. Talk to them about what you want to do because you can get some good advice that’s not just about the company.

5. Explore. See if you can get a taste of the different departments that exist within the company. You’ll get a better understanding of how the company works as a whole, while checking into different concentrations. Maybe you’re more interested in marketing, rather than accounting. You never know unless you explore the endless opportunities that are just waiting for you.

Last points to remember:
- Write your supervisor a thank you note at the end of your internship. It shows that you appreciate what they’ve taught you and it’s just plain polite to do so.
- Make sure you have the email addresses and phone numbers of your supervisor and of anyone else that may be of help in the future. You’ll need them as references and it’s always good to network. You never know what job opportunities will come up in the future (my summer internship before my junior year turned into my full-time position when I graduated).

-Amanda Fornecker

I don’t normally watch commercials. I get very antsy and impatient and bored by them. I know commercials are an advertisement for businesses and give companies a great deal of revenue, but I just don’t pay attention to them for some reason (except those hilarious phone commercials). So when I noticed how many commercials there actually are out there advertising career schools I knew it had to be big.

Career school commercials promise to hone your skills and get you a dream job. They provide quick facts and a phone number to call to get more information. I mean, it couldn’t be any simpler! Those commercials almost make me want to call a culinary school because it looks like the chefs are so skilled and happy with their jobs. How cool would it be to put your cooking passion into a career?!? Well, OK, there’s probably a bunch of you out there who would disagree. My mother is a prime example. But I think it’s cool.

And culinary schools aren’t the only schools to advertise. You have schools of art and design, health care schools, and business institutes. Two women I interviewed a while back entered broadcasting school because they heard an ad on the radio and were intrigued. “What do I have to lose?” thought one aspiring broadcaster. They were also both career switchers.

It’s true. What do you have to lose? I’m sure many of you have thought about going to school for one reason or another. Maybe you’re not satisfied with your current job. It may not be challenging you the way you’d like or the subject material has no longer got your interest. But you can get certified in a short period of time, depending on the school and concentration you are looking into. Why not look into a career switch?

Others of you may not have ever gone to school after high school and would really love to get your degree. Vocational schools can be exactly what you want. You’ll be able to get the education you’ll really enjoy without having to take those general requirements like traditional college students. And these schools always have outlets to help you find your post-graduation job.

Whatever your reason, exploring school can only provide you with another option. And if you don’t try you’ll never know. I always say that years down the road you’ll look back on your life and the decisions you’ve made. I don’t want to look back thinking I should have done something that I was too scared to try. No regrets. It’s one of the most important things. Start your college search so that down the road you’ll know that you did all you could.

-Amanda Fornecker

I know how important a degree is. (I write about career education for a living, after all!) I know that a degree can be key to getting a good job and a bigger paycheck. Education opens your world and sharpens your mind. I know. What I didn’t know is that education can actually lengthen your life.

This recently in from Harvard Medical School and Harvard University:

While life-expectancy has increased significantly for educated people over the last 20 years, it has plateaued for less educated people. In other words, those whose education level does not exceed high school have not been sharing the benefits of prolonged lifespan. This is the case for both African Americans and Caucasians. Deaths related to tobacco use account for at least one-fifth of the growth in mortality differences by education that create this life-expectancy gap.

Basically, those with more than 12 years of education are now shown to have significantly longer life expectancy than those who never went beyond high school. In the groups studied, as of 2000, those who were better educated at age 25 could expect to live to age 82; for the less educated, 75.

Is that motivation enough to finally get your degree off the backburner?

If not, consider this: Not only can education lengthen your life, it can help you live better, too.

According to the 2007 edition of the College Board’s “Education Pays” report, the more educated you are, the healthier you are. In 2005, 61 percent of four-year college graduates ages 25-34 exercised vigorously at least once a week. Only 31 percent of high school graduates did so.

In fact, at every age, those with higher levels of education are more likely to engage in leisure-time exercise than those with lower levels of education. Numerous studies investigating the relationship between education and health support the idea that the skills, attitudes, and patterns of thought fostered by education lead to more responsible health-related behaviors.

For a wellness-seeking society, these are correlations worth considering. Because your degree pursuit won’t just plump your paycheck — it will change your life!

-Robyn Tellefsen

I got excited for lunch the other day. It was about 10am and I asked my editor if she needed lunch (we get hungry early in the editorial department!). She told me she did and I told her that we should go to Panera. We love it there, so I didn’t really have to convince her too much, but I added in an extra perk.

I had a coupon! I prefaced that statement with the fact that I was clearly now an old woman (because I like to save money on the early-bird special and I’m usually in bed no later than 10 most nights). Hey, I’m a newly graduated writer – you do the math! My editor responded to this by saying that I just graduated and that it’s OK to want to save some money here and there. And, it definitely makes sense, but it can be difficult.

When I was in school, I wasn’t worried about the car insurance bills or saving money at all for that matter. I was a free-spirited teen, living it up Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and traveling to Europe (on somewhat of a budget). I may still live it up on the weekends but the whole dynamic is different.

I’m lucky enough to be able to live home for a while so that I can save some money and since my commute is under 10 minutes to work, the transportation costs are not so high either. But, as many of my friends are also beginning to see, life after graduation is very different and requires much more responsibility. The added pressure of the common question, ‘What do you plan on doing with your life?’ doesn’t help either. I guess with age you get more thrown on your plate. And it’s a definite adjustment.

Questions flood my mind. When will I be able to live on my own without having to live paycheck to paycheck? When can I be completely independent? And what if I want to go to grad school at some point? I love writing right now, but am I going to long for something different in the future?

Saving money can be hard, especially when you’re not used to doing it. And once you start your job, you’ll most likely be offered a 401K plan. Do you know what that means, exactly? I certainly did not and it took me a while to actually understand it. Great concept, but I won’t see this money for how many years?

There was an article in the Times that spoke of what young graduates can do to save, but it doesn’t always seem easy. Yes, I might be able to make my own coffee or get some office coffee, but really when it comes down to it, if I want a cup of Dunkin Donuts in the morning I’m going to go get it. I just can’t add up all the times I’ve gone because I know I could have saved a fortune. It’s called sacrificing and sometimes it can be hard.

I think what all of us — the new graduates — need to remember is that we won’t necessarily start out making a million bucks. We’ve got to start at the bottom and though we may want expensive things or to live the good life, we must pay our dues, work our way up the ladder, and earn our independence in a timely manner. And we’ll all be starting out with nothing, but as long as we work hard, we’ll be able to play hard in the future.

-Amanda Fornecker