The first day of your new Internship can be exciting. You'll finally be taken seriously and you'll be working alongside some true professionals. But then they ask you for coffee and you spend the rest of the semester making copies. Thankfully, that's no more.
Between 2003 and 2013, there has been a 36.4 percent increase in the amount of students that receive bachelor degrees per year, according to an Institute of Educational Sciences report.
Something that was once a cherished title of elitism is now a saturated and basic necessity for progression in the current job market. With more students receiving degrees, competition for a job is higher than ever.
One way to combat the increased pressure for a job is to rise above the rest. The most common way students attempt to do this is by acquiring an internship, or at least that’s what 61 percent of graduating seniors from the class of 2014 did, according to a National Association of College and Employers report.
Internships, in every field of study, can provide a hands-on and inside look into the industry they plan to go into or, in some instances, decide to switch out of.
The Journalist
“The experiences I received at Cronkite and my other internships were invaluable.” Sierra Oshrin, a former student of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication who interned at USA today in Washington, D.C. and who is now a multimedia journalist for KBOI-TV in Boise, Idaho.
On top of the USA Today internship, Oshrin also participated in the Cronkite News Washington D.C. Bureau program.
“I would spend three days a week at the D.C. Bureau and then would intern two days a week at USA today, (where) I attended morning meetings as a video team member," she says.
Oshrin was editing two packages a day, adding voice-overs and tracks. “Anything other than national news, we would have to make videos for.”
On top of this, Oshrin was involved with Capital Download, an online broadcast focusing on politics in the capital.
“It was created only about a semester before I moved to D.C., but by my third week, it was being aired every Sunday on the CBS affiliate TV station,” Oshrin says.
Oshrin was able to be a part of the shooting team for the interviews of important heads of state and notable business giants such as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Hewlett-Packard (HP) chief executive officer Carly Fiorina, who is also running for the presidential Republican nomination.
“If I had not had a chance to participate in those professional experiences, I really can’t tell you where I would be today,” Oshrin says.
The Engineer
Many students have had an eye on the top paying engineering positions for some time, which isn't surprising as ASU's Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering boasts 3,076 degrees granted from 2014 to 2015.
Robert Liu, a recent electrical engineering graduate of ASU, said engineering companies take a different route to determine the best candidates for the job.
“I’ve been asked to draw on a white board and just start coding. No computer, just on a plain white board. They are there to see if you know how to do it and know why you would actually want to work for the company," Liu says. “It’s both behavioral and technical questions.”
Liu is no stranger to the internship race in the job market. Since the summer between his sophomore and junior year at ASU, Liu has been interning at various semiconductor microchip companies. Starting at Microchip Technology in the Phoenix Valley to Freescale Semiconductor, a global semiconductor company, at their Austin, Texas location, Liu has traveled up the ranks.
Liu is currently in Freescale Semiconductor’s Engineering Rotation Program, a yearlong opportunity for Liu to participate in three different product groups in four-month intervals. “This program allows me to try out different positions before being placed in a final role,” Liu says.
Liu, having interned at lower levels at Freescale before, feels that he has acquired more interest from managers in having him as a full-time employee. “I’ve definitely gotten more visibility as an employee from the rotation program.”
Collaboration is key while working through this program. “I have the ability to ask a question to my coworker next to me or take a call and ask a engineer on the other side of the world,” Liu says.
“The goal of an intern is to make a positive impact and to show that you’re interested in the work,” Liu says. “Do a good job. Even if they don’t have an open position for you right now, somebody in another department might.”
The Researcher
Still obtaining her undergraduate degree, biomedical engineering student Haley Sivertson participates in one of the many lab research studies on the ASU campus. Sivertson is an undergraduate volunteer for Dr. Jeff Kleim’s research lab testing a drug for a San Diego based pharmaceutical company.
Sivertson and the rest of her team give rats a simulated stroke to test the effectiveness of the drug. The success of the drug is measured by the speed of the rat’s rehabilitation process.
“My main responsibilities are to weigh and feed the rats,” Sivertson says. The rats during the experiments are kept on a structured diet.
Accuracy in the lab is what the conclusiveness of the study relies on. “Our job is to keep the data accurate,” Sivertson says. “Lab managers determine the effectiveness of the drug based off of that accurate information.”
“I wanted to get my foot in the door in research,” Sivertson said.” “I possibly want to work for a drug research company sometime in my career.”
According to Sivertson, GPA and experience are equal when looked at by graduate school admission offices and employers. “They really go hand-in-hand. You have to have a certain GPA to qualify for any type of master’s program, but the experience will give you the upper hand over someone else.
“This is a really competitive major. By gaining this type of lab research, I’m building a resume and making connections.”
“I hope to try different research studies and internships,” Sivertson said. “I’m just trying to see what fits.”
Over half of college graduates receiving jobs held some type of internship during their undergraduate stay, according to a NACE report. Internships in any field are a necessary advancement in your professional career. Director of Career Services for the Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication Michael Wong could not agree more.
“Working internships is critical if you want to make yourself marketable for employment,” Wong says. “It exposes you to the profession, allows you to gain hands-on experience, meet professionals who can mentor you and augments what you learn in the class.”
