Written by: Sierra Porter | Staff Writer
Internships come in a variety of different formats. Regardless of whether it’s on-campus or off, full internship or micro-internship, paid or for class credit, the benefits of an internship are endless. An internship is a short-term opportunity in specific departments, organizations or businesses that allow students to gain experience they may not acquire in a normal classroom setting.
Here at Western, almost every single department has internship opportunities for students to take advantage of: including business, arts, science, education and so much more.
The best place to begin if one is interested in an internship is the Center for Professional Pathways page under internships for students. CPP provides students with information and links to resources within their internship program — allowing students to explore the many options Western offers.
Western’s site encourages students to take internships as, “Internships can truly enhance students’ education and overall college experience by expanding skill sets, connecting with others and exposure to real-world situations. It is no longer a question of whether or not a student should do an internship during their college careers, but rather how many and where.”
Experience comes in all shapes and sizes, and the website offers options for on-campus as well as off-campus internships — working with the community to provide different opportunities for students. Additionally, the site discusses the variety of micro-internships, which are typically short-term and project-based, offering students a new way to gain experience and test their passion in their desired field. No internship opportunity is too big or too small — one just needs to find the internship that is right for them.
The CPP website not only provides a link to search for one’s desired internship, but it also provides steps on preparing for that particular search. These steps include knowing onerself, knowing where one wants to work, getting ready to search and starting to search. All of these steps have information, tips and links provided with them, bringing ease to each one.
Job searching may be overwhelming, so along with that, they provide an internship search checklist and full guide, allowing the student to break up their search into manageable steps.
Why should one intern? Most students, educators and business entrepreneurs receive immense benefits from internships. Completing an internship not only gives a student valuable experience that they can put on their resume, but it also allows them to explore their true passions, interests and who they are as individuals overall. This experience is most often valuable to employers, as nine out of 10 employers say they search for students with internship experience. Not only are they looking for these students, but according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, “Just over 70% of employers end up offering their interns full-time jobs. Almost 80% of students accept these offers.”
Still not sure about taking on an internship? Learn about one of Western’s very own art interns, Tati Ala, fourth-year Communications Major who is utilizing the internship programs here on campus. Ala is currently an art gallery intern with the Art Exhibition Crew and also had an internship with Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette previously this year.
Ala expressed many things she loved about her experience including, “…how hands-on I get to be with the Art Exhibitions. I was directly involved with planning and setting up the Aloha From Maui exhibit that was set up in April, and as someone who was raised in Hawai’i, I was so happy to be able to be there and see what I could do to respect home and make sure it was given its due diligence.”
“Honestly, I’ve learned a lot about myself and how I work and what I would want to go into. With my PPCW internship, I was rotational, so I’d work with different departments and I was able to learn about specific jobs and skill sets that I couldn’t see myself going into, especially along the lines of running numbers and data,” said Ala.
Ala says if one can take on an internship they most definitely should. “I think it’s hard to feel like you’re in college and you’re aiming for this one type of job — but especially as someone who is a first-generation college student, I don’t have a lot of access to connections and people who are working in fields I want to go into, so it’s hard to feel secure in what I’m studying. Which is where internships are helpful.”
She recommends internships to all students as they are “…a great way to explore paths you didn’t think you would’ve taken, but also to test out what you want from your own future. It’s a really great way to be able to catch a glimpse of what you want for yourself, and take the time to see how you can apply that into your own lives and jobs, not to mention having more experience on a resume,” Ala said.
Ala offers some advice for those who choose to take the leap and participate in any internship. “Use Handshake. It’s a lot more helpful and there are so many places that are looking for college students. Keep an eye out for remote positions if you are able to.”
Many students juggle many things from other jobs or classes so if one is stressed about this Ala says, “Take advantage of CPP and all their resources, talk to advisors and professors if you can. CPP runs internships every year from winter to spring term, applications open in the fall — keep an eye out and reach out to any professors to see if they know anything as well.”
Any internship can provide students, teachers and employers with tremendous opportunities and great experiences. Invest in oneself, invest in an internship.
Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu
