Beginning Junior year of college is where the reality sets in. Only two years left until you’re thrown into the real world (unless you decide to attend graduate school). What’s the best way to get your foot in the right direction? Internships. Internships allow you to make great network connections and will allow you to gain experience in your desired field or maybe you find out that you don’t really want to go into that field after all!
As a college student hoping to get into the advertising/public relations field, I took it upon myself to apply to a summer internship at various places. Of course, most companies are looking for Juniors/Seniors to intern, I was only about to begin my Junior year as a communications major. I expanded my reach to marketing intern, as long as it is similar to what you want to do in the future I say go for it. A week later, I received my first interview.
My internship experience started in a small real estate office managing their social media accounts as well as promoting their new house listings on their company website. While, it is an amazing internship that led to a part-time position, real estate isn’t my dream job. After working for 8 months with said company, I took the chance of applying to the Disney College Program which will allow me to intern with The Walt Disney World Company and build brand new connections.
So, if you’re asking yourself if you should apply to that internship this week, the answer is YES! The sooner you apply to internships, the better and Spring term internships are available right now. The application process, like any other job, will be a tedious journey but it’s worth the wait.
Though most internships are unpaid, they will provide internship credit for FIU if available. Make sure you discuss this option with your advisor so you can knock out two birds with one stone. Some recommended websites to search for internships are: FIU Internships, Handshake and Indeed.
Good luck fellow scholars!
Thumbnail: Man Repeller