Jobs and Internships

As graduation nears, some seniors are gearing up for another “summer vacation” before going back to school for graduate work, some are escaping the idea of getting a “real world” job, some still applying, and some are taking it easy after having found a job already.  I wouldn’t say I am taking it easy… especially in the next week, but I have found a job, thankfully!  One of the benefits of going to a small liberal arts college is the relationships built with faculty and professors.  I conducted research for a senior thesis last summer and came back to Barnard in the fall to do an independent study in order to execute that thesis.  I had asked a studio critic of mine from the fall before, who also taught an Urban Studies senior seminar on New Orleans that year, to be my mentor/ adviser on this project.  That aside, he always sends out really helpful emails about events that architecture students may be interested in, and information on jobs and internships.  He recently sent out an email about a job opportunity at the Skyscraper Museum, whose director is a colleague of his from Columbia’s graduate school.  Based on my class last semester on Museums and Contemporary Culture, and the class I am taking this semester at the American Museum of Natural History, and my art history minor paired with my architecture major, this job seemed like a great fit.  In the interview, I learned that the museum is doing work with another of my Barnard professors for an upcoming show!  I got the job, so I will start part time work there in the days before graduation to prepare for a full time schedule after graduation.  The “real world” seems less scary because of the connections already established between two of my professors at Barnard and my future place of employment.  I think Barnard has constantly offered opportunities that I would not have found out about or reached out for otherwise.  I’m not sure I would have found this job posting or applied had it not been for that email from my professor!  And my friend, Grace, will be working with my other professor on the research for her upcoming exhibit at the museum.  So, I will be working with my friend this summer, too!  This is what the other bloggers are referring to when they say that Barnard will carry you through beyond campus and graduation –I am reassured in the connections that will be maintained.