Many previously arranged summer internships have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving students without the work experience they hoped to gain.
Some students have continuously worked toward earning summer internships throughout their college career, becoming upset about losing these due to opportunities due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Management information systems and marketing junior Angel Muniz had received a ten-weeklong internship with a Fortune 500 oil and gas company before the pandemic forced widespread layoffs.
“When I received the email stating my internship was being rescinded, I was devastated,” Muniz said.
With Muniz’s offer being rescinded, he began researching for new work opportunities in the middle of March, after many firms’ hiring seasons had ended.
Now feeling an added pressure to replace his lost internship, Muniz shares how the situation and now job searching while adjusting to living in a pandemic has negatively affected his mental health.
“Since the news, I have felt tremendous stress to find a new opportunity and not let my summer go to waste,” Muniz said. “Balancing recruiting and schoolwork on top of the ongoing fear concerning the health of me and my family during this pandemic has in some ways negatively affected my mental health.”
In management information systems junior Joy Nans’ case, her lost summer internship was the change of scenery she planned on receiving.
“My internship getting canceled was very distressing because I was looking forward to meeting new people and being in a totally different environment for the summer,” Nans said. “ I am planning on working this summer if I can at any places that are open.”
Moving forward, Nans hopes to find a new work opportunity for the coming summer.
As paid internships can be financial assistance to interns, some students with lost internships are now looking for new ways to financially compensate. Muniz is now looking for ways to make up for the money that he would’ve made with his rescinded internship.
“The money I would have received was going to be used to pay for my apartment near campus,” Muniz said. “I have to find new ways to support myself financially during this hard time. Even though I might not get the internship or opportunity I truly want, I’ve realized this is the new world we are living in, and I have to adapt.”
Both Muniz and Nans have the shared feeling that they will be missing out on gaining beneficial skills as they don’t have career-relevant work lined up.
For Muniz, the reality he is now facing is working outside his field of study in the coming months.
“I feel like I am going to be losing a valuable opportunity that I could have used to further develop myself as a professional,” Muniz said. “My summer months could have been learning programs and project development skills, instead it’s looking like I may learn the product aisles at my local grocery store.”
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends social distancing, Nans understands the importance of staying at home during these times.
“There are definitely skills that I could have gained at the internship that I am missing out on, but I do think it’s important to do what we currently are social distancing,” Nans said.