The CSBSJU Enactus Program has recently partnered with the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation to promote JobSpot. The students shared their firsthand experience about the importance of internships.
“Internships are a very important aspect of college for many majors and especially business majors. Internships allow you the opportunity to gain real world experience in a low risk setting and really let you know what field you are most interested in.
The process of gaining an internship is equally as important as the internship itself as it teaches you how to prepare for and handle your self in a professional interview setting. It also forces you to be proactive in going to job/career fairs and networking with people to set up connections or interviews as well as checking online through JobSpot or other websites to find positions that are open.
Networking is a valuable skill that everyone can get better at and is vital for success in the business world. I for one remember going to my first job fair at CSB/SJU and how awkward my conversation with the first recruiter I talked to was. But with practice you become more and more comfortable and you start to figure out how to talk to recruiters and how to prepare yourself so that you come off as professional as possible.
Overall I believe that obtaining as many interviews and real world experience as you can in college is the best thing that you can do for yourself professionally. Although you may learn a lot in class it is not until you are forced to put it to work in a real world setting that the information becomes truly valuable to you.
Internships also allow you the ability to see what it would be like to work in different industries/jobs to see which one really fits your interests. They also give you more to talk about in future interviews and networking events since most other employers are most interested in what real world experience you have.
Lastly, gaining an internship is an equally important skill that every college student should work on since it is almost exactly the same process as obtaining a job in the future. So speaking as a fellow college student I strongly encourage everyone to go out and seek an internship because I know how much the process has helped me grow as an individual as well as professionally.”