Florida A&M University announced last week that it has partnered with Parker Dewey’s micro-internship program. This program allows students to take part in short-term, paid and professional projects with different companies in different fields.
The beauty of the program is that it allows those interested to explore different career paths without taking too much time or energy away from other opportunities. This is also a quick and easy way for individuals to showcase their talents and expertise to future employers.
Micro-Internships are used by an array of companies; from those in the Fortune 100 to up-and-coming startups. The most general departments that are offered include sales, marketing, technology, human resources and finance with other options as well. This style of internship has shown to help students improve in the classroom as well, as they are able to apply what they learn in school to real-world projects and/or assignments.
Ranata Hughes, an instructor and the internship director in the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication at FAMU, sees a lot of benefits that could as a result of this partnership for students of all classifications.
“While short-term internships are not equivalent to traditional internships, they are still great in helping students gain experience,” Hughes said. “These experiences are good for quickly building their portfolio.
Micro internships are beneficial because of networking.”
“Students get to network with a variety of companies, which could assist them in getting hired much faster,” Hughes added.
Cydni Dariso, a first-year pre-nursing student at FAMU, believes this new partnership with the university would be very helpful for freshmen in any program.
“I personally don’t have my complete bearings as far as what I want my future to be.” Dariso said. “So with a program like this I feel as if it would allow students in my position to experience different areas of interest before making a permanent decision career-wise.”
“I feel as though the internship wouldn’t take away any time or effort.” Dariso added. “If anything, it sounds like it would be more of a bonus than a hindrance for someone’s academic journey.”
Medan McCants, a senior business major at FAMU, believes this is an opportunity that even those in their final semester could benefit from.
“I could see myself or others in my position partaking in this program, due to many students feeling uncomfortable on what’s next after their collegiate career,” McCants said. “This is something that I wish FAMU did in the past. Kids such as myself in the beginning weren’t as connected and didn’t fully understand what you want for yourself in the future.”