One Day, One Internship » entry-level jobs

Academy of Natural Sciences

Willy Franzen — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:59:01 +0000

For most of us museums are just places to go to visit for a day and to learn something new. We rarely think about what is going on behind the scenes, but we should. At many major museums there is also a significant research function. A perfect examples is the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA, which sounds like a research institution, but it also runs a museum. In fact, The Academy is the “oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World” according to Wikipedia. The Academy has been at the forefront of biological and earth sciences since its inception, and it continues to promote public education in those areas. Just to give you an idea of the scale on which they operate, their collections include more than 17 million specimens. That’s crazy!

Internships for Naturalists

One thing that is severely lacking on the Academy of Natural Sciences website is a solid About page. I had to head to Wikipedia to get a full idea of what they do, so if you’re interested, be sure to do a little extra research. The Academy has a great history, and its place in Philly reminds us about how Philadelphia used to be America’s most influential city. It’s amazing to think that The Academy is now approaching its 200th anniversary, and if you want to be able to celebrate it with them, you’ll want to get your foot in the door with an internship. Their Internships page shows a few positions including Botany Department Intern, Environmental Biogeochemistry Intern, and Undergraduate Research Fellow, while The Academy’s Idealist page shows Museum Public Programming Intern, Museum School Programs Intern, Museum Communications Intern, Explorers Camp Intern, Outside-In Children’s Museum Intern, Live Animal Center Animal Care Intern, Dinosaur Education Intern (my favorite), and Museum Marketing Intern. I’m not sure why there’s no overlap between the two, and it seems that there is a mix of paid and unpaid positions. The application instructions vary by internship, so look at the specific postings for more info.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever visited The Academy?

SingleStop USA

Willy Franzen — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:51:12 +0000

We all know that poverty is a huge problem, even here in an extremely wealthy country like the United States. We have thousands and thousands of non-profits working to eradicate poverty, while the government always seems to be creating new programs to help those in need. Still, poverty continues to exist despite the billions of dollars allocated to fighting it. Part of the reason for this is that many of those billions go unclaimed. Too many people don’t know what services and programs are available to them, so they never take advantage of potentially life changing help. It’s kind of like how you never stepped foot in the career services office, and now you are struggling to find an internship. SingleStop USA is a New York City based non-profit that is trying to change this problem by closing the information gap. They’re fighting poverty by informing people about the services that are already available to them.

What Internships Are Available for You?

The way that SingleStop works is pretty simple. They have locations in underserved communities where they work directly with clients. They input specific information about an individual into a computer program, and in less than 15 minutes it spits out information on “a family’s eligibility for a wide spectrum of benefits and tax credits.” This is work that would normally done by a caseworker, but there’s no way that even the most well-informed caseworker can compete with a comprehensive computer database. From there counselors then work with clients to help them apply for the programs and benefits that are available. The computer program also helps identify how using one program may negatively affect the potential benefits from another program so that clients can maximize their options. SingleStop was only founded in 2007, but they are apparently on track to “deliver $2 billion in benefits to up to a million households” in their first five years. It sounds like an amazing organization, and if you want to be a part of it, you should check outSingleStop’s internships on Idealist. They have two paid internship positions: CEO Intern and Legal Intern (not for undergrads). You can apply for either position by sending a résumé and cover letter to jobs@singlestopusa.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of SingleStop USA?

Food Bank for New York City

Willy Franzen — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:58:45 +0000

I guess it makes sense that people are more giving during the holidays. When you’re filling up on delicious food and getting lots of gifts, you can’t help but want to spread around the good fortune. Unfortunately for many food banks that spirit of giving isn’t distributed evenly throughout the year, while hunger is. Food banks and soup kitchens need food and volunteers year round, and sometimes they even have employment opportunities. One of those organizations that does is Food Bank for New York City. Their mission is to “end hunger by organizing food, information and support for community survival and dignity” throughout New York City’s five borough. While you’re still in that Thanksgiving mindset, you should take a look at Food Bank for New York City and see if you can add a helping hand as an intern.

Take These Internships to the Food Bank

Food Bank for New York City does a number of things to help the 1.3 million New Yorkers who rely on emergency food including “direct services, food sourcing and distribution, nutrition and health education, financial empowerment, disaster relief and policy and research.” They’re running a huge program, as they distribute food “to a network of approximately 1,000 food assistance programs citywide.” That takes a lot of manpower, so it’s big surprise that they’re hiring interns. They do have their own Jobs and Internships page, but I actually found it easier to browse their internship listings on Idealist. They’re currently looking for an unpaid Media Intern. You can apply for any of these positions by sending a resume and cover letter to agoforth@foodbanknyc.org .

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you in the giving mood?

Action Inc.

Willy Franzen — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:08:10 +0000

I love it when I get great recommendations for companies/organizations to feature from readers (if you have one, let me know at willy@onedayonejob.com). That’s how I found out about Gloucester, MA based Action Inc. I was sent a link to this article about how the non-profit agency will be getting “$8.5 million in federal stimulus money over the next three years to improve energy efficiency in low-income households from Gloucester to Haverhill to Lynn.” The cool thing about the project is that it not only focuses on reducing energy consumption, but it also focuses on helping low-income people save money that they’re literally burning away. Action Inc. is all about economic security, so their work goes well beyond energy efficiency. It also includes Advocay, Youth Outreach, In Home Care, Housing Loans, Job Training, Emergency Shelters, and Toy Drives.

Take Action

Action Inc. may sound a bit unfocused; however, that’s not really the case. They do their outreach in a variety of ways, but they aim to help a very specific segment of a very localized population. When it comes to promoting economic security for low-income people in the Gloucester area, they do whatever it takes to promote progress. However, you have to think that there will be an increased focus on the area of energy efficiency with the stimulus funds. That might also mean more internships/volunteer opportunities at Action Inc. Right now they’re looking for unpaid GED Tutors and Spanish or Portuguese Translators. There isn’t much information on these positions, but there is a phone number to call for more information on each of these opportunities.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Action Inc.?