By Luke Sims
Senior journalism major from Sweetwater, Texas
All students go through it at some point. That final senior semester begins to wind down and they realize “Oh no! I need a job!” Fear and anxiety take over and stress elevates tremendously.
As I watched my friends before me fall into this same trap, I noticed that a few of them did not. They were seemingly unconcerned by the stress. This was because they had thought ahead and got internships.
Not only do internships train you in the practical application of your field, they train you to get used to the real work environment, away from the laid back atmosphere of a college campus.
While interns are stereotypically depicted as fetching coffee for the higher ups, most interns work at low-level tasks and begin to learn the business hands-on.
Here are some tips for getting an internship:
• Speak with your teachers, no one can help you prepare and network like they can.
• Freshen your résumé.
• Improve your interviewing skills.
• Choose great references.
• Be willing to move.
• Don't pin your hopes on a single internship and stay on top of companies until the last minute.
• Make a list of your dream companies and apply for at least 10 internships. It never hurts you to send more.
Since 2007, a notable 74.5 percent of college graduates have been able to enter the work force per year. And while a degree certainly improves your odds, nothing can give you that boost ahead like an internship can.
A good friend of mine, for example, is my age and started college the same year I did. By his senior year, he had an internship lined up in Houston. After his summer passed, he returned for a final semester, with an invitation to return to work full time for the company in Houston upon graduation.
While many students will walk away from college wide-eyed with hope in their hearts but no experience beneath them, a student with an internship can sit before any prospective employer and say, “Nice to meet you. Now look at what I have done.”
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