For a great deal of students, internships are a major step from the world of reading books and writing papers to the working world. This transition usually takes place between junior and senior year in college.
It can be a very scary and confusing time for students, but can be made easier if they know where to look, what to look for and how to better prepare themselves to have a successful internship. For many people, getting started is often where the confusion takes place.
By Kristy Schweikarth,
Staff Writer
For a great deal of students, internships are a major step from the world of reading books and writing papers to the working world. This transition usually takes place between junior and senior year in college.
It can be a very scary and confusing time for students, but can be made easier if they know where to look, what to look for and how to better prepare themselves to have a successful internship. For many people, getting started is often where the confusion takes place.
At Seton Hill University (SHU), the CareerWorks Center helps many students overcome obstacles and the state of confusion. They have new and innovative ways of finding, preparing and guiding students to not only find an internship, but to be successful in choosing the best option.
Rebecca Campbell, director of CareerWorks, wants students to know of the services that are provided by CareerWorks. Campbell said that the sooner students start preparing themselves and looking for what they want out of an internship, the better off they will be in the long run.
CareerWorks actively works with students to determine the best internships for them, by assisting the building of their resume, and also provides mock interviews that will prepare students for the competitive nature of seeking and attaining an internship and later on a career, according to Campbell.
Campbell also lists the Regional Internship Center and WestPacs as a couple other resources students are encouraged to use to be better informed of the internships that are out there.
Although CareerWorks is an excellent source to find an internship, there are other ways one may not know about.
Matt Galando, a senior, found his internship at Penn Middle School through his advisor. Galando is majoring in elementary and special education and also sociology. With his internship he experienced and now understands what goes on behind the scenes of being a teacher.
Some individuals do not need to seek help from their college when finding their internship. Maybe they know someone in a field that they one day want to be in or there are internships that are found through previous work experiences. Candice Stripling, a senior, knew someone in her field of study, criminal justice, that enabled her to get an internship at the Westmoreland County Prison.
Stripling worked in the treatment department as a counselor and learned how to do intake assessments, use the county-wide information system and how to interact with the inmates.
Another way of finding an internship is through previous work experience.
Elizabeth Newman, a senior majoring in psychology and sociology, found her latest internship through a previous internship. Newman recently interned at the Southwestern Pennsylvania Health Services center. She learned different ways of counseling drug and alcohol dependent individuals.
The attainment of an internship is not something to be taken lightly. It is a competitive process which prepares you for the working environment and may even lead to a career.
If you are registering for an internship, Campbell wants students to know that there are new registration guidelines that need to be followed in order to successfully register for an internship.
These guidelines can be found outside the registrar’s office or on the SHU web site.
Why procrastinate when you can better prepare yourself, your resume, and build your experience level all at the same time?
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