Every year, waves of recent graduates flock to America’s two biggest cities with the hopes, dreams, and delusions of taking the job market by storm. Here’s what you can realistically expect when you make the ambitious decision to intern in New York or Los Angeles.
Commute
LA
Google Maps says a 15-minute drive in the morning, but you hop on the 405 45 minutes early and proceed to gawk at the thick layer of pollution masquerading as clouds while you move your car inch-by-inch in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
NYC
Whether you’re coming from Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester, or New Jersey, you’re in for a real adventure on your way into work. Experience unexpected breakdowns on various forms of transportation, wait anxiously for the F or G trains which never come, try to figure out how to cross town without taking the bus…all the while sweating through your button-down. On the subway, you attempt to grip the pole and avoid awkwardly touching anyone else while simultaneously burying your nose in the crease of your elbow. Someone always smells.