As a non-traditional student, my work benefits me in many ways. I’m self reliant, I meet new people, and learn new skills all the time.
As I get closer to graduating, looking into internships is becoming more important. There are many professors on my campus advocating networking with companies who offer internships.
It is well known that internships expand horizons for people in the job world, giving people opportunities that they would otherwise not qualify for.
How do people get these great internships?
I feel like I am applying to scholarships all over again. There is so much to look at and consider. The research seems endless and there is so much to consider, location, paid or unpaid, time frame, etc. Yikes!
How do I know that I’ll be prepared?
My jobs are one of my greatest assets as the hunt for internships begins. As a Reference Assistant, I feel well rounded in a vast area of knowledge and resources about a wide variety of things.
The Public Relations job is even better as I am building a portfolio to take to interviews, and is great for networking….although, honestly both jobs are great for networking.
Why point this out?
Almost every student has the opportunity to go for an internship if they want to, and any student who receives an internship would most likely say that they benefited greatly.
It is my opinion that as working students, we have an opportunity above the rest to be more prepared for these internships and better qualified.
There are many people who will go to college without even working a day in their life, then they will wonder how they get hired when they need experience. It is at that time that the non-traditional students who struggled to get everything done on time will hold their heads up high as they say “I have experience! I am qualified!” especially the ones who continue to work hard each and every day while going through school…..cheesy I know ;).
(Picture by pixabay.com)