Internships move students out of the classroom and into the working world
Summer a season for slowing down? For dozens of Rutgers–Camden students, summer is high time for ramping up career aspirations through internships. Even though most end in August, the newfound contacts and work experiences gained should extend past the job search and hopefully right into some ideal positions.
From tracking down terrorists with New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security Office to walking Zac Efron to the set of NBC’s 10! Show to helping the recently unemployed apply for subsidies to supporting clinical trials at Cooper University Hospital, Scarlet Raptors have been busy building resumes in a variety of fields.
According to James Marino, director of the Rutgers–Camden Career Center, internships are an essential educational experience that give students the opportunity to apply classroom learning to the workplace, expand professional skills, and even earn academic credit.
“Now more than ever internships are pivotal to a successful job search. We do our best to connect students with top employers and other student interns to gain a wider perspective on the opportunities available,” says Marino. In fact, over 70% of employers who hire off college campuses hire graduates who have had internship experience, according to research by the National Association of Employers.
What motivated Moorestown resident Gillian Alston to intern this summer were her own parents who encouraged her to get started on her dreams of becoming a TV personality. Alston applied for summer internships at MTV, Seventeen, and NBC’s 10! Show, but the Philadelphia media outlet was lucky she choose them.
“We really rely on our interns to be sharp and take on several responsibilities. Gillian has been a perfect combination of everything you’d want in an intern,” says Mina Sabet, executive producer of The 10! Show.
A psychology major, Alston says her academic training has helped with how she interacts with many different kinds of people. That skill has been especially handy this summer as Alston has had to coordinate with hundreds of audience members, busy producers, and a host of celebrities like Zac Efron, Michael Cera, and John C. Reilly.
The Rutgers–Camden senior says her NBC internship – three days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. June through August – has given her the confidence to continue in the field after graduation. “I will apply anywhere and everywhere. I will go wherever the best opportunity takes me,” she says. “I really want to move to LA, but if there’s a perfect job for me in Milwaukee, then I’ll move to Milwaukee.”
While Alston’s experience at NBC may have confirmed her career choice to enter into television broadcasting, other student interns might have learned to readjust their career paths.
“A major part of any internship is finding out if that field is a fit. Students who do internships might confirm their career choices and may also learn that they need to change their career choice. This is actually helpful in finding the right job sooner,” adds Marino.
Charles Ryder spent his summer interning for the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness; he even earned a certification in counter terrorism awareness. The senior criminal justice major learned through this experience that the line of work was appealing, but the day-to-day obligations weren’t exactly inspiring.
“Working in a cubical eight hours a day for five days a week isn’t for me. I want to have an active career that is more operational including intelligence, patrolling, investigations and training,” says the national security minor. Ryder was actually in a meeting in Philadelphia with members of the Coast Guard on July 7, when a duck boat tragically sank on the Delaware River.
“They had excused themselves from the meeting and left to go somewhere. At the time I had no idea of what had happened,” recalls Ryder. “Saving lives and patrolling the waters surrounding New Jersey might be in my future within the next two years.”
Law students also used the summer to test out career options. Through the various externships, programs, and clinics offered through Rutgers School of Law—Camden, students could find themselves at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a trial before the Superior Court, or an immigration hearing, all before even earning a degree.
Fletcher Duddy, a third-year law student, currently works as a judicial extern with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office where he conducts legal research, drafts legal briefs, and makes court appearances on behalf of the State. According to Duddy, this real-world experience was a reality check on the challenges he’ll face as an actual attorney.
“In law school, students are provided with a tidy set of facts and then asked to apply those facts to the law. In the real world, however, there isn’t a tidy set of facts to work with,” notes Duddy. “The struggle is gathering enough evidence to help paint a picture of what actually happened...this experience has reinforced my desire to practice criminal law once I graduate.”
While Rutgers–Camden works hard to provide students at all levels and in all disciplines internship opportunities, students also are encouraged to seek out positions themselves. With multiple online internship courses becoming more available, there could be a Scarlet Raptor summer migration pattern to Hawaii.
Media Contact: Cathy K. Donovan
(856) 225-6627
E-mail: catkarm@camden.rutgers.edu