Internships, internships, internships. That seems to be the answer to life's problems this week. We've had two separate programs/speakers on campus in the past week and both have highly encouraged getting an internship. Why are internships so important?


Amber, a business recruiter, came to campus and explained that having an internship on your resume immediately makes it stand out. Many jobs require 1-5 years of experience for applicants. Well, as a college grad just entering the job market how can you find work? Who will take a chance on you? Amber explained that having a resume under your belt will count as that one year experience. It shows that you've been in the "real business world". You understand how it works, and employers will be quicker to hire.


With all the buzz about internships I went and talked to James McEwen, internship coordinator here at the college. He explained that by having an internship on your resume, you are showing recruiters and businesses that you have made an effort to seek real business experience. He stressed that any time is a good time to get an internship, but your junior or senior year is the ideal time.


Well, I guess that means it's time to get it together. I talked with Dan Falk about internship opportunities for communication majors and he has a lot of opportunities and helpful tools for students seeking internships.


Get out there and get an internship, people!

Pressure seems to be present throughout our life. It comes in different forms with varying levels but it surrounds our schedule no matter what stage of life we are in. When I was younger it was pressure to get along with my sister and keep my room clean, in high school it was to maintain good grades while playing sports and working, and in college pressure comes in the form of facing the unknown future.

It's not only the future that seems scary but all the expectations and pressure that go along with the future. I have been in school all my life; therefore I have invested approximately fifteen years in my education. What if after these fifteen/sixteen years (I still have a little over a year left) I realize that it was all for nothing because I can't find a job. College graduates are entering one of the worst job markets in history right now due to the depression. Will I find a job? Will I find a job that I like? Will I ever be able to pay my student loans? What will I have to show for my sixteen years invested in education?

These are all unknown questions, and that's a scary reality to face. I've learned throughout my life that the only way to be successful is to give one hundred percent all the time, so even though I have no answers on what my future will hold or if I will ever be able to find a job, all I can do now is devote myself completely to the remaining three semesters I have in school. After those three semesters the scary future will become my reality and I am confident that giving one hundred percent will be enough, just like it has been so far.

Attached is a link to my latest article, enjoy!

http://scupdate.org/?p=17135

The further I progress in school, the more intimidating the future becomes. I am currently a junior in college and still have no idea what I want to do when I'm "grown up". I realize that this "grown up" time is rapidly approaching so I have decided to dedicate this blog to career exploration while in college. Basically, what on earth am I going to do with the degree I'm achieving? During this exploration I will be talking to different people gaining persepective on where they are in terms of determining a career as well as talk to professionals in careers and discuss how they came about finding their job.

I am studying communication; I have a friend who graduated from the same college I attend with a communication degree. I decided that talking to her about what to do after graduation would be a good start because we share the same major.

Korie explained to me that she started as an undergraduate with dream of being a news anchor. This somewhat shocked me because when I chose the communication field that is the dream job I had in mind. She went on to explain to me that in her college career  she became involved in organizations and activities which surrounded her interests of becoming an anchorwoman. Korie realized as a junior/senior that her passion was not in reporting news.

This is where I am on my journey of career exploration, I have come to find that I do not have the skills to edit and do things which I would have to do in order to be an anchorwoman. So, I am at this freak out stage where I feel like everything I'm doing in school will be a waste because I no longer want the traditional job as a writer or reporter that many communication majors get after graduation.

Korie's response to this was that it's ok to want something out of the box. She currently works as an admissions counselor for the college. While she does use things she learned as an undergrad on a daily basis, she isn't writing stories or reporting for a television station. She found what she loved (helping kids/youth) and applied it to the degree she had. This is what I should start doing instead of stress out about the future: I will begin to find a passion of mine and apply it to what I know and what I am learning.