Getting a Head Start on Your Professional Future
By Annette Cinelli

I know, it’s awfully hard to concentrate by the end of second semester, when beautiful May days have your mind wandering to how you’re going to spend those glorious, just-within-reach summer months. So ~ exactly what are your plans? Are you going to be working that same old job you’ve had since high school, folding polo shirts at the Gap or ripping tickets at the movie theater? Well, if you’re ready for a change that could really help your future, why not go for an internship?

One of the great things about internships is that you get to work in a field that you’ve chosen based on what interests you, not on what you have to do to fulfill course requirements. You’ll also be gaining terrific experience that will give you a leg up on your professional future ~ and might even help secure a more promising financial future than the Gap could ever offer! Add to that meeting cool new people, and it’s pretty much a win-win situation. But don’t take my word for it, read what four internships graduates and one current intern have to say about things.

Sarah Messier, Production Editor, SchoolArts Magazine

Before Sarah Messier graduated from Assumption College in 2004, she already had a full time job working as the production editor for SchoolArts magazine, a magazine for K-12 art educators. And how was Sarah lucky enough to land a job that would give her the chance to utilize her English degree before she even officially had it? An internship, that’s how! While interning, Sarah worked on Desktop Publishing, book reviews, and new products. Towards the end of her internship, she was offered the chance to apply for two different jobs: She was the top candidate for the position of Editor and could also apply for an Editorial Assistant position. Internships are an incredible opportunity, and not just because of the potential for a full time job.

“You are helping out a company and building a network. You are getting experience in things you would be doing if you chose a career in that field. In addition to your hands-on work, you can observe how people act in a company setting ~ something most college students don’t get to see until they are actually working. In an internship you have a great opportunity to discover your work style. You can also find out if a certain type of job is for you, or not, without getting stuck. Those who do an internship are a little more confident and professional when they interview for a job ~ the experience shows.”

Erin Hogan, Physician’s Assistant Program, Great Brook Valley

Talking to the career counselor at your college is one way to find an internship, but it’s not the only way. Erin Hogan found her internship at Great Brook Valley Health Center in Worcester, MA all the way from Midwestern University in Phoenix, AZ, where she was in the Physician Assistant program.

She made cold calls to every single health center in the Worcester area before she finally she got lucky with GBV Health Center, a community health center that offers comprehensive medical care to the under/uninsured. The internship gave Erin lots of responsibilities in several different areas. “As a physician assistant student, I worked with several different physicians (which was a great foot in the door), saw patients and reported to the physicians my treatment recommendations. I functioned much the same way

that I would if I were a regular employee, and this gave me the opportunity to meet all essential management coordinators, and learn ‘the system.’” Her hard work paid off and she is now a full time employee.

Erin knows the importance of internships and offers some advice. “[Look at the internship] as an extended job interview and free orientation. Make a concerted effort to truly learn the inner workings of the company so that if and when you are hired, the transition will be that much more comfortable for you. Meet and impress as many people as you can.”

Elizabeth Zepp and Janis Manzo, Worcester Art Museum

Elizabeth Zepp had fond memories of the art classes she had taken at the Worcester Art Museum as a child, so WAM was the first place she contacted for an internship. Internship granted, Elizabeth wound up working with the youth manager on researching new programs, creating brochures, and working with the kids. She got experience with aspects both “…in front of and behind the scenes.” So it came as no surprise when the Museum called her right before they posted the job listing for a new Studio/Class Programs Assistant and told her she should apply. Since Elizabeth had worked under the previous assistant, she already knew how to do most things for the job when she went in for the interview.

Elizabeth advises interns to treat their work “…with a lot of respect, treat it as a job not an internship, it can open so many doors if you focus and put your mind and heart into it. It’s a wonderful experience.”

Janis Manzo also went from intern to employee at the Worcester Art Museum. Janis took a course in Museum Studies during her first semester at UMass and was assigned to work at WAM as part of her studies. She found an internship developing an online art history survey course for Becker College. When a job as a Library Assistant became available, her former supervisor, the Director of Education at WAM, suggested she apply for it.

Janis got the job and is currently a Master’s Degree student at the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science, earning her MS in library and information science. Janis suggests that “…students research internships to make sure that they will help both parties, not just the employer,” so that the students get as much out of the experience as they can.

Sean Hurley, EnviroBusiness Incorporated

Sean Hurley is a senior Management major at Clark University and a paid intern for EnviroBusiness Incorporated, a company that assesses the environmental quality or degradation of a property. Sean works on market research, spreadsheet assembling, and finding information for strategic decisions. He has also interned in London and feels that internships are an invaluable experience.

Sean says that ~ especially if you can find one that pays ~ an internship is “..worlds superior to a regular job. With an internship you are doing something academic while getting paid. It’s a chance to do something in line with what you hope to be doing in future.” According to Sean, there’s such a difference between the academic world and the professional world and an internship is the best way to bridge that gap. EnviroBusiness Incorporated has been very pleased with Sean’s work and wants to work with him more in the future.

Davis Publications, Great Brook Valley Health Center, and WAM are only a few of the places that offer internship opportunities. Eric Saczawa, Assistant Director of Career Services at Clark University, provided the following list of other unique internship opportunities in Worcester: Paid, Inc./Celebrity Webservices, a local business that runs online auctions for sports memorabilia, music memorabilia, and provides website services for pro athletes, offersa tech/journalism internship (sometimes students even get to meet professional athletes!) The Fright Catalog, affiliated with The Halloween Outlet, is a small local business that also offers marketing internships. MassBay Film Project offers events planning/promotions internships. There are also opportunities at various human service agencies, community development agencies, law firms, advertising agencies, and science labs, just to name a few.

So do something different this summer, find an internship in a field you’ve always wanted to try out and see if it really is the right career for you. You’ll have fun, you’ll learn, and you’ll get a great experience to put on your resume. And there’s a good chance your internship will lead to a job!