I Know What You Did… Oops, Will Be Doing Next Summer

It’s October, the career fair has wrapped up, and if you’re a first-year student you might be walking around campus with mixed feelings. You put on your best outfit, polished your résumé, executed your elevator pitch to perfection, shook hands with recruiters from the “big name” companies … and then nothing. No interview emails. No phone calls.

Why? Because a lot of those employers are looking for juniors and seniors who can slide directly into internships that turn into full-time hires. That doesn’t mean you didn’t impress them; it just means you’re early in the pipeline. It’s natural to feel a little bummed out.

So now what? You might be tempted to shrug it off and slide back into the comfort of that familiar high school summer job, like lifeguarding at the community pool or working at the same store you’ve been at for years. There is nothing wrong with those jobs since they build responsibility and work ethic. But here’s the truth: next summer is the perfect time to level up and explore hidden gems that can set you up for a truly amazing internship in Summer 2027 and beyond.

These hidden gems are closer than you think. Smaller organizations, local offices, and community-based employers often fly under the radar, but they are hungry for smart, motivated students like you. A city planner’s office, for example, might need help reviewing maps or community projects. Your county’s finance department could use support on budgets and reports. A small manufacturing plant nearby might welcome a student assistant to work alongside a process engineer. Even local libraries and museums offer opportunities beyond shelving books, whether it’s helping manage archives, running programs, or tracking data. Nonprofits are also a great place to gain meaningful experience by supporting events, marketing, or research. Municipal utilities, such as water treatment plants or electric co-ops, often bring students in to shadow engineers and technicians. Do not forget about startups and family-run businesses either. They may not show up at your career fair, but they are often eager to have students contribute to projects, data analysis, or social media outreach.

These kinds of opportunities might not come with a big corporate logo, but they can be incredibly valuable. They give you real-world problem-solving experiences that will stand out in future interviews, connect you with professionals who can vouch for your work ethic, and show employers that you did not wait until junior year to start building your résumé.

So next summer, when your friends are back at their high school jobs, picture yourself saying: “Yes, I spent the summer working with the city’s engineering department” or “I helped a nonprofit redesign its volunteer database.” Those stories will pop when you’re back at the career fair in 2026, and they will open doors to the internships everyone else is chasing.

Here is the secret: the “big boys” may not be calling you yet, but that only means you have the freedom to carve your own path. If you take advantage of these hidden gems, I know exactly what you’ll be doing next summer. You will be building a foundation for something even bigger.

Your call to action: do not wait until May to figure it out. Start asking professors, advisors, neighbors, and family friends this fall about opportunities in your community. Send a few emails, make a few calls, and put yourself out there. The sooner you start looking, the better your chances of finding that hidden gem that will set you apart.