By Sydney Matthews | Staff Writer
A deadlines approach, the Career Center is helping students find internships for the summer by providing resources and events for them to make connections and grow their network.
“There are still hundreds of internships available through Handshake, so all students need to do is start looking for those. Students can also attend the Big 12 Career Fair where there will be more than 120 employers hiring [for] both internships and full time jobs,” Amy Rylander, director of the Career Center, said.
Rylander said internships are a great opportunity to expand a students’ network and provide students with a snapshot into what a job in their prospective field could look like.
“Internships are the best way for students to find out what they want to do, find out what they do not want to do and just gain some experience regardless of if they loved it or they hated it,” Rylander said. “I think that internships are crucial for students.”
Around 80% of students who do internships have full-time jobs by the time they graduate. Rylander said students who have good experiences at their internship can land a full-time job either at the same company or through the skills they have gained.
Waco senior Bella Vinson said she wanted to try doing another internship that was different to one she had done previously and looked to the Career Center for help.
“I went to the Career Fair last year and I met Wayfair and I thought it was really cool that I could get an opportunity outside of Texas,” Vinson said. “So, I actually went and lived in Boston this summer and was in a role that was completely different than what I study.”
Vinson also said even though she realized that the role she had this summer wasn’t what she wanted to do long term, it allowed her to experience something different she was interested in. She said she was able to find mentors along the way and has a better idea of what she would like to do in the near future.
“Utilizing the Career Fair and center is really beneficial because it gives you that face-to-face contact, which leads to a better connection,” Vinson said. “I think it is really important to try different things even if it might not pertain to your major. Internships don’t set you in a permanent role so it allows you to try different interests and companies and you will always learn something from an internship.”
