November 11, 2000
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of experiences. You will never learn and never grow if you don’t go out and try something new. There are a lot more to being a student than just going to class. You know, “positive” experiences. I’m talking about student organizations beyond Thai club, elective classes you have always been interested in, and braving an on-campus job or an internship.
Don’t be shaking your head at me there. Oh yes, you too can join the student working class!
First of all, you would need an on-campus work permit, which you can get from your international student service office. Jobs on campus are usually not well paid, but they are not hard to get. These jobs range from working in a cafeteria to research assistant. You just have to look for what you are interested in.
The first job I had was working for University Events. They needed people to do grunt works like sealing envelopes for invitations as well as the more glorified duties of checking in guests at events. It was interesting for a while. Then I noticed that the staff played favorites. The people they liked get a better duty and longer hours. I got to work less and less.
At that same time, my friend Jennifer told me that a student worker was needed over at USC Annenberg Center. My “big brother” Joel was an intern for Warner Bros. Pictures promotion department, and he asked if I would be interested in being his assistant. He needed someone to help him and take over after he graduated. That spring, I quit University Events to join Jennifer at Annenberg Center, and started working with Joel at Warner Bros.
Halloween party at Annenber Center.
My boss, Nancy is Snow White, and we the interns are her dwarfs!
Technically, you are not supposed to be employed off-campus during your studies, but internship is a different story. Internship off campus is not really hard to come by. Somewhere some company is looking for cheap labor. Unpaid internship or internship for school credits are okay. For school credits, you have to check with your department first.
Does working clash with my studies, you asked? On-campus jobs usually work with your class schedule. They would even let you do your studying while you’re on duty if there is nothing to do. I had a job at the multimedia lab once, and I was just sitting there 2 nights a week for three hours getting paid to do my own homework. Internships are usually flexible too unless they really need someone on a certain day. Warner Bros. wanted Joel and I to be in the office on Fridays, so I avoided picking Friday classes.
At Warner Bros. with my boss Michael,
and fellow interns from UCLA, Bob and Mayumi.
The bottom line is time management. You have to know your priority and plan everything out ahead of time. School has to come first. Treat internships and part-time jobs like extra credits—good if you get them, life goes on if you don’t.
After you graduate, you can apply for a full year of legally working in the U.S after your graduation. This is called “Practical Training Permit”. You are to work in the fields of your study and earning real money. It is possible to use your practical training in sessions—6 months now, and 6 months after graduate school. My case, I took the whole year because I still needed time to think about if I wanted to pursue graduate degree and what would that be.
I ended up with a receptionist/office assistant at a dot com called the Hollywood Stock Exchange (www.hsx.com). I fell in love with the people and the company, and they in turn adopted me. The experience here convinced me to go back to graduate school for Communication and Information Technologies Management. And HSX kept me on as an intern.
Some of the crazy people I work with at HSX.com:
Christine (now at Harvard), Robert, Mark, and Rhino (now in San Diego).
I’ve been with HSX just over a year now. I’ve seen the company grow from 16 people to 93. I’ve helped with our relocation from a rented space in Santa Monica to our own building in West Hollywood. Just the other day, HSX merged with Predict It! (www.predictit.com). The harsh reality of a merger and cost-cutting strategies kicked in 24 hours after the announcement. Like a grim reaper, one of our executive vice president swept his scythe across the office, axing about 30 unfortunate souls from senior execs to an office assistant in both LA and New York offices.
Most of the surviving co-workers have been through one of these mergers before with even bigger companies. They told me that the key to survive this was not to take it personally. HSX is letting go of these people in order to keep the majority of us employed. We should concentrate on what is coming next. Besides, the little birdy told them that I was kept on board because they see me as a good investment, and my loyalty to the company was highly noted.
Would sitting in a classroom have given me any of these experiences? Would a textbook have taught me about what to do and how to deal with it if I were laid off? Would I have known that loyalty could play such a big role in one’s employment?
Nothing prepares you for the rest of your life like a real experience. You will get hired. You will get fired. You will get a promotion. You will get laid off. It’s all a part of life. The best time for trials and errors would be during your college years when you can get internships just about anywhere, and jobs are quite a plenty on campus. You don’t have to worry about your job as much as you have to worry about school. The best experience in your life might just be waiting there in the working world.
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