Many graduating seniors will be entering the job market this May. Whether or not they are prepared for it could be due to lack of experience in the field.
It is easier for some disciplines like chemistry and biology to get work experience in their field because Pacific University has the resources on campus to pay students to work in these types of labs. Most majors allow students to use an internship for credit, but these are at the will of the students because you have to find one on your own.
The Academic Catalog states “students may enroll in internships for academic credit. Internships earn one credit for each 40 hours of work, up to a maximum of 14 credits in any semester. A maximum of 17 credits of internship may be counted toward graduation.” But if everyone was required to do an internship, our students would be much more well-equipped for the job market.
You could go to the Career Development Center and ask for help selecting and applying to certain internships, but ultimately your specific department likely will not help set one up for you. However, some majors require their students to intern while studying, like International Business and Sustainable Design. Communication Design and Editing and
Publishing are two minors that also require two-credit hours of internships. But not all majors are created equal, and some fields have higher demand.
Publishing are two minors that also require two-credit hours of internships. But not all majors are created equal, and some fields have higher demand.
The important thing is to work on your resume and stand out as much as you can because internships are competitive, especially if they are paid.
Nevertheless, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE),
among those in the class of 2014 who received a job offer prior to graduation, less than two-fifths did not have any internship experiencenor did they participate in a work-study program. The good news is that more than half of the internships from 2015 were paid at 61 percent, and there is no reason that number should stop climbing. Employers seem to be realizing it is easier for them to train a temporary intern as a potential full-time employee instead of blindly committing to a full-time employee right away. It would be beneficial to students, local employers and the university to develop more internships into the curriculum of each discipline. College is a place to not only expand our horizons, but also to prepare the next generation for the job market.
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