Opportunities While You're Still an Undergraduate (Gah!)

1. Student newspaper or blog. While the newspaper industry continues to decline, many colleges and universities continue to publish student newspapers (or at least an online edition or blog) as a training ground for aspiring journalists and writers. 
2. Creative writing annual or journal. Many colleges showcase students’ creative writing in one or more publications. These are great options for submitting poems or other forms on creative writing that can prove more difficult to publish elsewhere.
3. School alumni magazine. Most colleges publish alumni magazines that highlight accomplished alums and major donors and share news from campus of interest to those with a connection to the school. Often, there are opportunities for students to write for these publications on a volunteer, freelance or work study basis.
4. Part-time employment opportunities with offices or departments on campus. Many offices or departments will have writing that needs to be done like news releases, newsletter articles, grants, brochures and/or web copy. Because they may lack staff resources, they are likely to welcome assistance from students who can write.  
5. Local media outlets. Local newspapers, community blogs and radio and television stations often offer internship or part-time employment to students, providing invaluable professional experience to those pursuing communications, journalism, marketing or writing degrees.
6. Volunteering with a non-profit. Many non-profits rely on student writers to help with marketing, fundraising or communications.
7. Student organizations. When getting involved in student organizations, students often find that they have opportunities to apply their writing skills to help promote membership and events.
8. Company internships. Many employers have internship programs for students in their marketing, communications and other departments. While internships can be competitive, they can provide valuable hands-on experience and can sometimes lead to employment opportunities after graduation.
9. Freelance writing opportunities. Even while still in school, students can seek work as freelancers. There are multiple websites, such freelancewriting.com and flexjobs.com, where students can find paying freelance writing projects and jobs to pursue, even while they pursue their degree.
10. Class projects. When building a professional writing portfolio, students should not overlook the writing they do for class assignments. This work can be a great source of samples for showcasing writing ability to prospective employers.