By Julia Farmer
Work for free? Yeah, right.
Work for free for an opportunity to apply school experience to the real world and network to find a job? Sign me up!
Internships can be paid, but are generally unpaid, working stints that students perform for college credit to gain working experience in the work force. Students apply and perform internships - generally lasting a semester long-- for companies in career fields they hope to be involved in after graduation. Not all colleges and schools expect internships as part of their required commencement curriculum, but the unpaid work experience is highly recommended.
'Although not required in our department, a number of students find and perform internships,' said Cardell Jacobson, sociology department internship coordinator. 'Internships are good because they give practical experience and an opportunity to apply students'' discipline to a work atmosphere.'
Jacobson supervises students who find internships themselves in the sociology field. As is the case with many departments like sociology where an internship is not required, Jacobson''s students team up with a professor to perform their internship in the form of research. Research can result in publication, which leads to graduate to school, which leads to a first job.
The BYU Career Placement Services provide the statistic that 80 percent of graduating seniors have completed at least one internship before they graduate. These students receive job offers from the internships, experience higher starting salaries and quicker promotions than their peers who did not perform an internship during their college experience.
'Networking is the number one advantage of internships,' said Richard Cox, a Career Placement Center advisor serving as Chairman of BYU''s 2003 Career Fair. 'I get excited seeing students involved in internships as it helps them get experience and prepare for work.'
Erin Robinson, 22, a senior from Irvine, Calif., majoring in political science, performed an internship at the U.S. Senate in fall 2002 with the BYU Washington Seminar program. Robinson served under senator Harry Reid (D-NV). Reid was democratic whip when Robinson started her internship, yet while she was there power in the senate shifted to the republicans, and she witnessed Reid moving to minority whip.
'I chose to intern in D.C. for two reasons,' said Robinson. 'I am a political science major and I felt to really understand politics I needed to be there. I thought it was ridiculous that we had piles of textbooks and were learning it, but didn''t get to see it.
'I wanted to go to D.C. to learn and understand my field. Second, it helped that we got credit for going.'
Robinson had the opportunity to represent Sen. Reid in Iraq hearings with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. She was feet away from the congressional steps on September 11, 2002 when members of Congress sang in remembrance of the terrorist attacks a year before. Robinson was able to work at the senate Monday though Thursday, and on Fridays share in classes with other BYU D.C. interns to learn about where their internships were taking them.
'The Washington Seminar was a great gateway,' Robinson said. 'I was in the right place at the right time to experience so many things, meet so many people and increase my chances of getting a better job. And the great thing about a BYU internship is that my senator was also my Sunday school teacher!'
Every BYU college advisement center has an internship coordinator to help students land his or her ideal internship. More information can also be found online at www.byu.edu/intern.