Spare Change Summer, pt. 1: So Long and Thanks for All the Cupcakes

I am going to write a series of entries about my Spare Change Summer, so titled because 1. It is summer now, 2. All I have in my pockets is spare change, and 3. Life outside my pockets has lately been nothing but change (with some to spare, if you want it).

I’ll begin with having to leave my first internship early because the small, nonprofit publishing company I work for just went under. All my colleagues at my internship were laid off with five weeks notice. This is naturally upsetting and hard for all of us to process. We are going through a mourning process. The company is small enough that my colleagues are all familiar with one another, and get along well with each other for the most part. Some have even found close friends. They get together outside of office hours as well, mostly at bars, but many will probably lose touch with friends without seeing them on a daily basis.

I have only ever worked one real, paying job (two counting Coldstone, but I don’t because it was terrible and I was only there a week), but I still know that I was lucky to be a part of the Heldref community. There was a lot of camaraderie, energy, and enthusiasm. I didn’t get to know anyone super well, but everyone was kind and helpful even when I asked too many questions, which I greatly appreciate. The coffee (I don't drink) and tea (I do drink) were free, which is always a nice treat. Best of all, to celebrate one of my coworkers getting married, someone brought in cupcakes, orange juice, and champagne! It's the best way to wake up in the morning, let me tell you. Drinks were mixed in these tiny champagne glasses from Michael's. They were so adorable. I felt like a real member of the Heldref family when they said it was okay for me to consume alcohol even though I was only 18. I will really miss that.

But forget me for a second (I know what you're thinking - that's impossible!) Try to imagine the people who have invested so much time, energy, and hard work in this company. I am a humble part-time, unpaid intern who has been with them for a little under a month. I came out alright from this tragedy. I got some solid work experience in the editing field. I didn't lose my job, or worse yet, benefits and retirement plans. I don't have any kids to put through college, or bills to pay. Some of my colleagues have spent decades with Heldref, and now they have to start the job search all over again, with very few positions open for humanities and science journal editors. And while five weeks is a long time to look for a new job, this could not have happened at a worse time. It’s nearly impossible to get seasonal work mid-June, and there are very few open and permanent editing positions available. I wish them all good luck in their job hunting.

As for me, I have miraculously found a summer internship canvassing with a nonprofit group on Capitol Hill, but I have some qualms about this job. I don’t want to lay them all out here because you never know who might find this, but basically I have heard bad things about how they treat employees. Much as I need the money, I am not anxious to repeat the nightmare that was my Coldstone experience. I start work July 6, and I hope things go well. Cross your fingers for me and...

...walk in beauty.