For today's college students, "The Real World" is not just a television show; it is a term associated with growing up, graduating with a degree and holding a full-time job.
One way students continue to place themselves in the running for first-rate career opportunities is by completing internships before graduation.
Internships provide on-the-job experience, networking with potential employers and valuable additions to students' resumes.
Karen Pruett, a career counselor in Career Development Services (CDS), said she encourages students to do internships whether they are for course credit or paid positions.
"Any experience in the field is going to be valuable," Pruett said. "We encourage students to do an internship or at least do some volunteer work that relates to the profession they are interested in going into."
Pruett said CDS helps students locate internships by hosting fairs and career expos each semester in which employers from numerous companies share information with students on their hiring practices and job positions.
"Career expos are for professional positions which include jobs and internships," Pruett said. "They (students) will be able to see who is hiring and what they are coming for."
Upcoming events through CDS include an internship and summer job fair Jan. 20, an engineering and technical career expo Feb. 9 and a business and non-technical career expo Feb. 11.
These events allow students to distribute their resumes to potential employers, Pruett said.
"We tell students your resume is what gets your foot in the door," Pruett said. "Getting a good resume together is key."
Pruett said internships make students better competitors in the full-time job market.
CDS offers students in-person and online assistance with compiling and formatting their resumes before submitting them for job positions.
"We help them figure out the best way to present their information on their resume," Pruett said.
Pruett said students need to allow plenty of time for securing an internship.
"They need to give themselves several months to search," Pruett said. "A typical job search is six to nine months for full-time employment, so you want to start early."
CDS posts companies as they register for career events on its Web site so students can prepare by deciding who they want to talk to beforehand.
Students may also find possible internships on CDS-recommended Web sites such as Internships.com.
"We can help them look for opportunities through our resources," Pruett said.
Some departments require students to complete internships before they graduate.
Jamie Sailors, director of undergraduate internships in Human Development and Family Studies, said all students in the department are required to complete a full-time, full-semester internship.
"Our students must have at least 450 hours over the course of a semester," Sailors said.
Sailors said students can either satisfy their hours over 15 weeks with a minimum of 30 hours per week during the fall or spring, or they can spend 10 weeks over the summer completing 45 hours per week.
"Our goal is for students to have a capstone experience that will prepare them for the next step after college," Sailors said. "I think any kind of service learning is a great educational tool."
Sailors said HDFS provides students the option of interning abroad for a full semester in Ariccia, Italy.
"They can go anywhere in the world as long as they have reliable Internet access," Sailors said. "We want students to identify internships related to their professional concentration."
Sailors said HDFS keeps a list of where previous students have interned, as well as places looking for interns.
"I give them pointers on evaluating potential internships," Sailors said. "They need to give serious thought about what it is they really want to do."
Katie Dunagan, sophomore in marketing, said the College of Business hosts multiple job and internship fairs throughout the school year.
"I think it's a good thing they do that for us," Dunagan said. "Every little bit helps."
Dunagan said she is looking into interning her junior year.
"With the economy, it's so much more important," Dunagan said. "Employers are looking for that."
Chasity Faulk, sophomore in pre-nursing, said she will have to do clinicals, which are similar to internships for other majors and provide hands-on experience in the medical field.
"Internships really benefit you," Faulk said. "You get experience in the work that you're doing before you go out into the real world and do it."
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