When you first start off working at an office, you'll ask yourself two things: why is everyone on a diet here? And, I spent HOW much this week on lunch?! With that in mind, don't think just to save money on lunch you have to resort to tuna and cruskets, you could be a little more creative. How about: Quinoa Salad with Cherries and Feta?



The following recipe serves between 4 to 6 so, keep that in mind with ingredients (but it's the perfect dish to share with friends on the weekend, and to keep throughout the week!)

Hit up your local grocer and get:
2 cups of cherries
Kosher salt
2 cups of quinoa
3 tablespoons of minced shallot
3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup of minced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup toasted almonds

Then...

1. Pit the cherries and set aside in a bowl (pitting means taking out the seedy things inside, after you wash and drain the cherries in a colander) while you make the quinoa
2. Bring a pot of salted water into a boil, while you add the quinoa to a strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Add the quinoa to the boiling water for 7 minutes or barely "al dente" - strain it using a strainer
3. Add an inch of water into the pot, and set the fine mesh strainer in the pot. Make sure the water doesn't touch the quinoa. Turn the heat up to high and cover it with a dish towel to keep the moisture in, let it steam for 3 to 5 minutes
4. Turn the quinoa out and into a large mixing bowl, and fluff it up with a fork
5. Slice the cherries into thin rounds 
6. Add the minced shallot, red wine vinegar, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the bowl of cherries. This is to ensure we make a bit of a dressing from the cherry juices. 
7. Drizzle this over the quinoa, and add the parsley, feta and almonds. Toss and combine
8. Put this bowl on a clean contrasting work desk, arrange your notebooks at a creative angle, add some accessories and viola, the perfect Instagram flatlay.

For most university degrees, it's recommended that students start applying for internships with the hopes that they'll gain more experience and skills to grow your careers. Most large organisations publicise in their application forms that these internships could eventuate into full time jobs, which for most, could mean SCORE. So, how do you get there?


Don't be afraid to be picky with your internships.
When applying, its best to research the organisation you're working for. Do your values fit in with theirs? What type of activities will you be involved in, and what will you gain? These are questions you need to ask yourself and during your interview as it's a way for you to suss out whether you'll enjoy it or not. You're worth more than just getting coffees for the boss (you shouldn't be getting coffees for them, but WITH them btw).



Act like a professional.
That doesn't necessarily mean you have to act like you know everything when you walk through the doors - that would get annoying. But rather, conduct yourself professionally. That means being honest, don't bitch about other co-workers with fellow interns/colleagues, know phone etiquette, and for the love of all that is good, don't wear flipflops. The walls have eyes.


Familiarise yourself with networking.
In order to land that full time position, it's important to make yourself known in the office. Make a name for yourself other than 'the intern'. This is done through networking. Make the effort to go to work events where you can really talk to your co-workers. Sure, it might be intimidating, but everyone was just like you at one stage.



Ask questions
Think of your intern experience as an ongoing job interview, where questions are a good thing. By asking questions, you will appear switched on, you will appear engaged and you will appear interested. Questions will also allow you to figure out if this is the right path for you as you learn more about the skills you need that will help you grow.


Set goals for yourself. 
During your internship, you'll be given tasks you're not particularly interested in. But just like life, you'll have to grab it by the horns and get it over and done with. Also, be assertive. Once you've finished your tasks, ask for more. The amount of interns who actually don't ask for more tasks to do is quite surprising, so think of this as a way to put yourself ahead of the rest.

Finally, it's important to show that you're interested in working there. After a few weeks, you'll know whether or not this is an organisation where you'd like to work, and a team you'd like to work with. Positivity and enthusiasm radiates. Own it.

So long mid-semester break, it was nice to know you, for a week. It's crunch time now, as much as I'd hate to say it and with only a few weeks left until the end of semester, it's important we don't lose what's left of our sanity. While some of us are trying to maintain a study/life balance, some might be in the midst of juggling a work/study/life balance. Whatever you may be doing, here are just three simple tips to keep with you, even when you do start working after studies.

Get on it, you deserve it.

• your sleeping pattern has changed, and you find yourself tossing and turning or whether you’ve experienced a disrupted sleeping pattern
• you’re already ‘feeling the stress’ and may blow new issues or ‘stresses’ out of proportion
• you have a short fuse with family or friends (don’t have your friends walking on the tips of their toes around you)
• you’ve stopped being productive, and you’re stuck thinking inside the box
• just don’t find yourself caring anymore - no one should come into uni or into work just to make it through the day, when you start finding yourself saying ‘I just don’t give a shit’, it’s definitely time to recharge

Me, on a mental health day

When your mate offers to shout you lunch and asks what you want, or, when someone asks about your plans after uni... What's harder?