Internships: a taste of the real world
The trick to getting the dream job may be found in school-sponsored internships.
Each year, Utah State University sends between 2,500 to 3,000 students across the country to work as interns, said Donna Crow, the director of Cooperative Education and associate director of Career Services.
For most college students, the reason they are in school is to eventually obtain a real job, and one of the best ways to reach that goal is to become an intern.
“Given today’s job market, there’s nothing better you can do,” Crow said. “An internship sets you apart from other job applicants and makes you more marketable. About 60 percent of the time, a student intern is given a job offer, and has a 9 to 10 percent higher starting salary.”
Whether majoring in art, science, music, engineering, math, English or business, there is most likely an internship out there for any student. Many prestigious companies offer these experiences, including: Microsoft, CNN, Rolling Stone, Hewlett-Packard, MTV, Nike, Universal Studios, Wal-Mart and NASA, to name some. All are willing to help students further their career goals through internships.
“There are more internship postings than there are students applying,” Crow said. “If you’re interested and willing to go somewhere outside of Cache Valley and outside of Utah, your options are endless.”
Deciding to work as an intern may conjure up thoughts about old-fashioned apprenticeships with long hours spent with little rewards and no pay, but today’s internships offer some enticing perks.
Crow said a student intern can expect to gain anywhere from one to 12 academic credits depending on how involved or how many hours per week his particular job is. Another attractive benefit is the money.
“About 90 percent of internships are paid. It’s the few in psychology, sociology, etc. that are volunteer programs,” Crow said.
Tom Robins, a junior majoring in history, spent last summer in Washington, D.C. working for the Chief of State of the House and Resource Committee.
“Anybody who wants a real job should get an internship,” he said.
Robins received 12 semester credits and was paid for his time there. He had the opportunity to speak with powerful and influential leaders such as Colin Powell and congressman Jim Hansen.
“A quality internship gives you more practical experience than you could get from any book,” Robins said.
Along the same lines, Dave Miles, a junior majoring in finance, said, “I definitely came back to school realizing that I needed to get all the education and learning I could while I was in school. Now is the time to gain that knowledge, not when you’re out in the real world.”
Miles spent last summer in Seattle, working for Washington Mutual. He was employed at the liability desk, dealing with million-dollar transactions daily. Before Miles headed up to Seattle, he had decided that he wanted to be an accountant, but soon found other related interests during his stay there.
“If I hadn’t have done the internship, I wouldn’t have known that I didn’t want to go into accounting practice, now I know what I want to do,” Miles said.
Miles received nine semester credits and got paid for his internship. He sums up his entire experience as “completely worth it.”
Crow said the key to finding a good internship is selecting one that links to your major.
“If you can get involved with a company that specializes in what you are interested in, you will come back more sure of your career goals and have a much better sense that you’re going in the right direction,” she said.
USU offers many avenues for students to search out and select internships that would suit them. The Career Services Center has a wide selection of books, magazines and pamphlets to attract interested students to various internship experiences.
Students may also stop in and set an appointment with someone who can help them get started in the right direction or go online at the Career Services home page at www.usu.edu/career.
–karalcam@cc.usu.edu