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College students can benefit from internships
By Mike Meiler
On March 8, 2012
You're almost done. You've been attending college for three (or four… or five) years,
and it's almost time to think about what you might do to kick-start your career.
Suddenly, you realize that the tens of thousands of dollars you've spent on your
education have prepared you for the real world, but haven't provided you with any
on-the-job experience that might give you the upper hand as you compete for jobs
with other graduated seniors.
It's time to look for an internship, and as someone who's gone down that road
(and is now getting paid to stay on), I can offer a few tips in the search for some
workforce experience.
Initially, make a list of possible internship destinations. Don't limit yourself on
where you'll look for an opportunity. Not every possible company will advertise
an open position, or even have an opening for that matter. That doesn't mean they
won't accept you as some much-needed (and free) help.
Don't get discouraged if you don't get an internship at the ideal time. Some of
the biggest companies only hire over summer, meaning that prestigious, mid-
semester internship is probably not going to happen. Still, while it might mean a
summer away from family and friends, a couple of months spent in your job field
will ultimately better serve you than staying home and working in retail (unless, of
course, that's your field).
Don't be afraid to apply everywhere. The best companies may drag you away from
home, but that shouldn't keep you from applying. At worst, they reject you, or you
get accepted but decline the invitation. ‘Tis better to have applied and lost then to
never have applied at all.
Don't get snooty, either. You may not get that high-end offer, but you shouldn't feel
like you're above a "lesser" internship. Chances are, a low-end internship will be
with a company that you'll likely end up working for right out of college. If you want
to climb the corporate ladder, you've got to start somewhere. There's no point in
passing up a jump-start over your competition.
Mike Meiler can be reached by email at meiler.record@live.com.
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