This post is going to be written in a bit of an unconventional style for me, but I thought it’d be fun to share what a typical day looks like for someone interning in DC, via Snapchat screenshots. This isn’t a perfect example of what all DC internships look like, but hopefully it’ll give you an idea of what to expect if you decide to spend a summer (or a semester) working in the nation’s capital.
5:30 a.m. – Wake up and get ready
7:00 a.m. – Work out
I love working out first thing in the morning, so I’ll walk to the SoulCycle studio and take the 7 a.m. class. Since the studio isn’t too far from my office, I’ll bring my work clothes with me and shower/get ready at the studio.
8:45 a.m. – Coffee
I’m lucky in that my office doesn’t really start work until 10 – some of my friends start work as early as 8 or 8:30, but I get to spend my mornings camped out in a coffee shop (usually either one of the local ones in Chinatown or the Starbucks directly across the street from my office). I generally use the time to run through my inbox, do blog-related stuff, or work on assignments for marketing (which I’m taking online this summer).
10:00 a.m. – Work time!
I get into the office a few minutes before 10, and a lot of people drift in afterwards. My office in particular is pretty laidback, so I wouldn’t say that this is typical of most DC internships. My office also has a more casual dress code (jeans are totally acceptable) so what I wear to work on a regular basis isn’t necessarily representative of what most people wear. For example, I wore a Piko dress today, which I probably wouldn’t wear if it was a business casual environment.
12:00 p.m. – Lunch
Today my morning tasks were pretty simple: I designed an invitation for a reception we’re having at the end of the month and did some research to find a caterer within our price range. Normally I just eat lunch at my desk while I’m working, which isn’t the healthiest habit but hey, it happens.
1:30 p.m. – Errands
A few boxes needed to be shipped, and since I wasn’t working on anything particularly pressing, I volunteered to go with one of the other interns to drop them off at the post office. We also swung by a Panera and I picked up a smoothie. (Also yes, I have a 24-hour clock on my phone.)
5:00 p.m. – Go home!
The rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful, so I was able to leave right at 5. I take the Metro home instead of walking, because by 5 p.m. it’s oppressively hot and therefore not fun to walk outside for 30 minutes.
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
Depending on how hungry I am, I may start cooking immediately or I may wait a little bit. Tonight I made a vegan pizza (although it didn’t have tomato sauce or cheese, so I’m not sure it should qualify as a pizza anymore).
10:30 p.m. – Bedtime
I spend the rest of the evening doing odd tasks: reading, blog work, marketing homework, and getting ready for the following day. In general, I try to be in bed by 10:30 so that I at least get a reasonable amount of sleep before waking up at 5:30, but sometimes that doesn’t always happen. Luckily for me though, it did today!
There you have it: a typical day as a DC intern. If you’re looking to intern/work in DC in the future, let me know (and also I highly recommend it)!
xo, Taylor
I loved how different this post was for you and your blog! It seems like a pretty interesting internship to have. I just had my first rotation for pharmacy school and it was a lot of fun!
-xo, Makaela
http://www.uniquelymickie.com
Hi! I’m also a UGA undergrad, with a recent major change to environmental econ and management! I intern with a local nonprofit right now, but I’m undecided whether I was continue work like this or go the pre-law track after college. Regardless, I’m interested in working in DC at some point and was curious what your internship consisted of? Thanks!
I’d definitely recommend working in DC! My internship was somewhere between communications and administrative work, so I did a lot of writing certain things and helping to plan events. One of the things I really enjoyed about working in DC, though, was that even when you weren’t in the office, there’s always a ton of things to do that still line up with your interests. I was able to attend rallies and conferences that were all related to issues that I think are important, and that really helped me get a better idea of what type of work it is that I really want to do!