What do Peter Jennings, Diane Sawyer, and Red Lobster have in common? Well, they taught me more about life after graduation than any long-winded professor or an $80 textbook. Jennings and Sawyer gave me real-world advice as an intern for ABC; Red Lobster put some part-time job cash (and then some!) in my pocket.

As a college student, a good way to prepare for real-world responsibility is by getting a part-time job. It's an out-of-classroom experience that gives you practical skills needed for life after frat parties and final exams. But it still didn't prepare me for the sweaty-palmed and name-forgetting encounter I had with Peter Jennings when I was an intern. Face-to-face with one of the most recognizable people in the world, and I was star-struck. I quickly snapped back to reality, though, when his first words were about the real world I'd soon be facing.

"I didn't go to college, so I am more readily disposed (call it a bias) to those who have gone beyond the books," he told me. I took that to mean I'd better make the most of my internship.

After meeting Jennings, I knew my next meeting with a celeb would be different. When I spoke to Diane Sawyer, I kept cool, but was convinced she was reading from the same book of success as Jennings was. "In most fields... the best training you can get is real-world experience," she said.

Real-World, Red Lobster
I'm a part-time bartender at Red Lobster. Then again, I do more than just pour drinks, flip bottles, and rake in tips. (I am responsible if I break a bottle, and I must report all my tips to the IRS.) It's definitely a healthy dose of experience.

I also sell gift cards and prepare take-out orders. Oftentimes I have to make salads, deliver food to tables, sweep floors, run to a grocery store, and walk guests to their tables. I even take inventory, train new workers, balance the cash drawer, and answer telephones. And, I must entertain hungry guests not thrilled about a half-hour wait for a table. Do you really think I would choose to wear a shirt decorated with lobsters and a name tag shaped like a fish if I weren't getting anything out of it?

Sounds like a lot of responsibility for a college student just trying to make some extra cash to fill the gas tank and pay the cell phone bill. Well, tending to those responsibilities paid off in other ways, too, especially during my internship.

ABCs of Interning
I never saw a connection between my job at Red Lobster and my ABC internship until a few weeks after I started at the network, talking with Peter Jennings on the set after World News Tonight. He told me to get a well-rounded education, but more important, to apply myself and learn outside the classroom from people in all walks of life. I am not afraid to admit that my part-time job at a seafood restaurant was key to my survival as an intern at a top media company. I had practice being on time. I abided by a dress code. I handled customer relations on the phone and in person. I learned teamwork and responsibility. Even better -- I came to understand how to deal with and follow orders from a boss.

Maybe my intern coordinator knew this when I was asked to research daily talk-show material passed on to affiliates around the country, hit the streets of New York to interview people for radio newscasts, or run errands. Running errands at ABC doesn't mean the usual intern dash for coffee. Sure, I ran paperwork from office to office and organized the tape library, but that's a small price to pay for working behind the scenes of two national news programs.

Need a Second...and Third Opinion?
Don't just take it from me. Kelli Malia, a senior communications major at Penn State University (State College, PA) went from delivering food to tables as a waitress, to delivering results in public relations and promotions internships at Madison Square Garden and MGM Studios, New York, NY, the past two summers. She credits her part-time job for her two successful experiences. "Being a waitress taught me how to function in a stressful and fast-paced environment," she says. "I also learned how to handle unhappy customers and employers, and how not to crumble under pressure."

Kelli realized something during her part-time jobs that helped her stay positive during her internships on those the-whole-world-is-against-me type days we've all had. "Even if you hate your internship, co-workers, and/or bosses, be respectful, and pay attention at work because you will learn something."

Adam Gorney, a senior journalism student at Penn State, certainly learned plenty of work lessons from interning with various newspapers and Fox Sports in Los Angeles, CA. Before interning, though, he got his hands dirty with a string of part-time jobs. "I think they're crucial because they show internship coordinators you're serious about working hard.

"It's difficult enough to get an internship, and anything you can do to help your chances is crucial. Getting a part-time job before trying to get an internship can only help," Adam adds.

Final Advice
A part-time job is a practice field to learn a work ethic expected of you as an intern and beyond. It can help you become the type of intern Jennings likes to see: "Those who show that they wish to learn, who are imaginative, and are prepared to work hard, hard, hard, are usually the best," he says.

If you want to learn and are willing to do the "hard" stuff, but are confused by how or where to start, don't worry. So was Diane Sawyer. Ask yourself these three questions her father asked her when she was young and unsure: What is it that you love? Where is the most adventurous place you could do it? Are you certain it will serve other people?

"If you can answer those three questions about your career path, you're on the right track," says Sawyer.

I'm proof that a part-time job will help you do just that. Maybe it will even help you meet and work with people you admire. It sure did that for me!

Steps to Snagging an Internship
Build a resume. Earn good grades, get involved, and acquire experience. Aside from part-time jobs, you can take challenging career-related classes, volunteer, or join a club, team, or organization.

Write your resume. Colleges have a few offices to help you with this. Use them. They will help you with structure and appearance, and probably will help you add things you didn't think of. This is your chance to sell yourself to internship coordinators or employers looking over thousands of resumes.

Gather addresses. Find the addresses of potential employers. You need to think about location, transportation, and housing before sending resumes all over the country, though. And, make sure the company's work is related to your major.

Personalize cover letters. "Dear Internship Coordinator" won't work. Mass-produced letters aren't unique; employers won't give them a second look. Limit your search and give a passionate reason why you want to work for someone in particular and what you have to offer.

Response. If an internship coordinator responds, move quickly but carefully. Return the call and act professionally. Don't ask too many questions -- save that for an interview. They are the ones who wanted to talk to you. Let them.

Interview. For first-time interns, this is the biggest taste of the real world. Dress and act like it. Be confident and clear. But also try not to be nervous. The interviewer was once in your spot.

Selection. If you are lucky enough to have a few internships to choose from, pick the one that will best prepare you for your future. (Not the one that is the most fun or pays the most!) Think 10 years down the road.

Your Part-Time Job Search
Part-time practice If you want to be a lawyer, doctor, or teacher, working the fryer at a burger joint probably isn't the best practice. Find a job that will relate to what you want to do and help you learn about it.

Don't work for the money. Yes, money is why we all work. But upon graduation you will get old and gray with the career you choose. Choose a job that makes you happy rather than a job that simply makes your wallet bigger.

Don't look for an easy job. OK, so you have a job for a few years where you do little besides watch TV and read magazines. Then you graduate and an employer asks: What kinds of things did you learn and do at this part-time job that will help you in this position? Don't let your answer be "not much."

Shop around. For internships and first jobs after graduation, you may need a little luck and also an opportunity -- both may be hard to find and you can't be too picky. The part-time job search is where you can see what an employer can offer you. This practice will help you know how to market yourself to an employer and find the best offers after an internship or first "real" job.