Scrolling down the job application, the statement usually appears: Please list and explain your internship experience. Internships serve as an opportunity to gain practical experience within the field college students wish to study.
They provide on-the-job-training and allow students to practice the skills they’ve learned in the classroom. However, the obstacle is usually securing the internship. Whether it’s a small, local internship or a chance to work with a Fortune 500 company, every serious student needs the experience.
Joseph Petit-Homme, a senior mechanical engineering student from Vero Beach, Fla., spent his summer in Merritt Island, Fla., as an intern with the Kennedy Space Center, where he was able to learn design skills from seasoned engineers.
“I applied for this internship after the recommendation of one of my professors, Petit-Homme said. “It’s a combination of having competitive grades and knowing the right people.”
Florida A&M offers special services to help students gain quality internships. The C.C. Cunningham Career Center offers rsum writing classes, receptions with company recruiters and an online listing of internships and jobs.
The Career Center hosts a career fair each fall and spring semester. These career fairs attract students from all schools and programs. On average, 150 companies secure spots at the career fair to recruit students.
Delores Dean, director of the Career Center, said students should be using the Career Center as a resource. According to Dean, 65 percent of the students registered with the Career Center earn an internship or full-time job.
“When your rsum is posted on the Career Center website, we automatically refer you to internships and jobs that match your profile,” Dean said.
Another resource available to students is the Center for Global Security and International Affairs.
Jaquone Bradley, a senior political science student from Gainesville, Fla., applied with the center and had the opportunity to spend time in China during the summer.
“I applied after my professor recommended it to me,” Bradley said. “With a team, we conducted research on China’s governmental structure and compared it to the United State’s governmental structure.”
To register online with the Career Center, visithttps://www.myinterfase.com/famu/studentregistration.aspx. To learn more about the Center for Global Security and International Affairs, visithttp://www.famu.edu/index.cfm?CGSIA.