When I was in college, internships were something far and foreign for me. It’s not that this is something that I didn’t know about, but I wasn’t sure why internships were so important. As a liberal arts major (my major was French, zut alors!), I could easily understand why all my enginerd friends were interning – they had to “do” things, and all I could do was read Albert Camus in his native language and order good food at fancy restaurants. Internships were not something that was pushed in my curriculum anyway, so they remained a thing limited to science folks.

As time got closer to graduation, a bell went off in my head. The very same one that all seniors hear – “What am I going to do with my life?!” – that prompted some very thoughtful and mindblowing discussions in my life. I needed an internship. Or two.

Internships then and now are important experiences that allow students the opportunity to “try on” a career without the long-term commitment or hours that go along with the work. I knew deep in my heart I wanted to work with students as an advisor. I took a step back and, just like in the movies, I replayed all my student assistant jobs in rapid succession – I was an RA, I was student assistant to the Dean, I was a Peer Advisor for EOP/SAA – it all makes sense now! While these jobs were great, they were at my college and I needed real world experience.

I ran down to the Internship Center and scanned the listings for a good internship (back then, we didn’t have this fancy internet that you’re reading this blog on. we had to look at books! paper! dead trees!). I didn’t find one I liked. Most were in science and labs, things that didn’t appeal to me. I decided to take a leap of faith and, gasp, cold call an alternative school in a neighboring city and see if they would take me on as an intern.

“You want to intern here? Why?”

“I want experience as a counselor, and I’m good at what I do. I could work for free.”

“I don’t have to pay you?”

“No, I’m doing it for units, writing a paper for a professor, and no pay at all. It’s an honor to do the work for free.”

“When can you start?”

And so started my internship. It was a rough school. Kids there were kicked out of the other high schools. They were angry, sad, and many, despite the stereotype of alternative schools, were gentle souls who just couldn’t “fit in.” From the first day, they let me meet with students, parents, faculty. It was engaged readily and supervised by the principal. It was humbling, and it was a wonderful experience for the two quarters I did it. However, it was also a confirming experience that alternative schools were really challenging places to be. I scratched that off my list.

My next internship, again, found after a cold call, was at a traditional high school. I was still in the mindset that I wanted to work with high school students. I was given the opportunity to watch advisors work with their caseloads of 1000 students each. It was difficult but good work – I met with students to help them plan out their academic lives as well as spend time with students in a personal development course that was the foundation for the work I do today. But like my previous internship, it helped me learn more about the field, the challenges, and the success stories. And, truthfully, like my other internship, it helped me learn that this was not the population I wanted to work with. It’s great work if you want it, but it wasn’t for me.

Two internships were huge turning points for me. It helped me learn more about the world of work I “thought” I knew about. It would have been a tragedy to enter the field only to hate it a few weeks later. I am grateful for those experiences because they opened up my eyes to a reality I had not previously known. It also confirmed that I really enjoyed working in a college environment and here I am, twenty years later.

In today’s world of work, the recommendation is three internships minimum. I can see why this is true – so much of the decisions students make are based on subjective experiences: “I heard this is a great field” or “I would love to be a (fill in the blank) because it sounds so cool.” So let’s swap out those subjective experiences for objective ones – go get your feet wet. The best thing that can happen is that it confirms that this is where you want to be. Or like me, it can confirm that you might want to take your talents elsewhere.

We all have to try on shoes before we walk out of the store with them. Your career isn’t very different. So get to it.

Char

You can get more information about Internships here. Visit a Career Services colleague on UC 5th floor. Drop ins every day from 11-2.