The landscape of internships is rapidly changing. In 2023, according to the Business-Higher Education Forum, 8.2 million college students sought internships, but only 3.6 million students were successful. Different factors, such as grade inflation and a recent lack of research funding, have also pushed students to differentiate themselves through internships.

Many Bowdoin students feel career-driven anxiety early on in the semester. Career Exploration and Development (CXD) sends emails to first years a few weeks into September, introducing students to career planning opportunities. Though useful to students searching for employment, these emails can feel like a reminder of the sink-or-swim nature of our professional landscape. This is not the CXD’s fault; rather, they show the overwhelming pressure students at any elite institution face. Executive Director of CXD Kristin Brennan noted that the pressure to secure a prestigious internship has driven first years to her office more often than eight years ago.

Along with a more competitive job market, the jobs that college graduates gravitate to are also changing. Sociologists Amy Binder and Daniel Davis created the term “career funnel” to describe the increasing pattern of students at elite institutions pursuing careers in finance, tech or consulting, a process that starts early in college, reinforced by social and institutional pressures. “When elite universities send an inordinate number of their graduates to narrow corporate career tracks, they intensify inequality and divert young people away from serving the common good,” Binder told a reporter from Mother Jones last year.

Employers in finance and consulting recognize that interns need to be compensated for their work. Unfortunately, many employers outside these more well-resourced fields cannot offer students adequately paid summer opportunities. This disparity can drive students, especially those from under-resourced backgrounds, into fields they may feel less passionate about. It also means that many fields underappreciated in today’s job market are only accessible to students of certain means.

Bowdoin students are lucky that resources like the CXD’s unpaid internship fund and department fellowships exist to disrupt this trend. This past summer, a record number of Bowdoin students used the College’s resources to gain funded work experience in public service, medical fields, and the arts. Others took advantage of fellowships and departmental awards to travel and learn more about the world around them.

Undoubtedly, these paths are more available to some than others. But this should affirm Bowdoin’s crucial work in tackling these disparities. By offering students the chance to gain paid experience pursuing their passions, Bowdoin makes careers accessible to all students, especially those from marginalized backgrounds.

But a resource is only as good as what it is used for. Even though it may feel far away, as you look to next summer, think about what you want to do, not what you think you “should” do. What will bring you the most joy? What will support your growth? These questions aren’t easy to answer, but we’re at a school that makes it easier to ask them.

Realistically, the internship of your dreams is not guaranteed, and receiving Bowdoin funding requires navigating a competitive application process. But going back home and picking up your old job from high school is also not a gap on your resume. An ambitious environment like Bowdoin should not minimize the value of all types of work experience.

One summer in college does not define your trajectory. It’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind, but remember that life and your career will pivot in unexpected ways. A Bowdoin education will continue to have value, and the work, in classes and relationships, that you do here will pull its own weight. Life should not forever be reaching for the next best thing.

This editorial represents the majority opinion of the Editorial Board.