Fall internship outlook

Although students might be aware that the experience gained from internships can lead to advancement in their fields, fall appears to be a time in which some would rather focus more on their academics than completing an internship.

Allen Tran, a senior agricultural and resource economics major with a concentration in business, interned at BAE Systems during the summer and winter. Tran believes completing an internship during the summer is a better option because students generally are more available.

Summer internships may give students more time to work, but Jason Kramek, a senior marketing and supply chain management major, believes that the same experience can be gained in any season and that the competition for open positions declines during the academic year, as students go away to school and get more involved with their studies and extracurricular activities. 

"All the teachers strongly encourage [internships] and they give [the students] all the necessary resources we need to find one," Kramek said. "I realized that in today's market, you [have] got to have some experience when you come out of college, or else it's going to be hard to find a job."

Kramek currently does not have an internship, but is applying for open positions for spring 2010.

"Internships are vital, especially for business students, because professionalism is important in that field and you can learn that by working in a business environment," said Tran. "My first internship was two years ago and I've grown professionally and more mature."

If students do as much as their schedule allows, keep their goals in mind and remember to network, a fall internship can net a similar result as a summer internship: a job after graduation.