Internships are offered for most majors at nearly any place someone desires to work. With the current unemployment rate at a low, students are finding it harder to get a job after college. One way to have more experience before applying for those jobs is to intern.
Ray Karraker, Cooperative Education and Internship Coordinator at Career Services helps students find internships each semester. He believes it is an important opportunity.
“There are three reasons why a student should intern,” Karraker said. “First, (you) get work experience and build your resume. Second, (you become) exposed to the real world because oftentimes, you may intern and find you do not like the field of study you chose. Finally, a third reason is that studies from the National Association of Colleges and Educators show that more students receive a job after graduating if they intern, versus no internship.”
In order to qualify for school credit from an internship, the University requires students to have at least a 2.0 GPA and be at least in their second semester. For transfer students, they need to have at least six credit hours in attendance on campus and have a 2.0 GPA to apply for internships. All students must also pass the requirements for the company giving the internship. While interning, a student must also finish at least 300 working hours in order to gain University credits for graduation. It is not necessary that a student interns in a specific field of study. The point of interning is to gain experience, Karraker said.
“I encourage people to look into internships because they are so valuable,” Karraker said. “Start early in your career to help build your resume and gain experience.”
According to the NACE, roughly 60 percent of students who participated in a paid internship receive job offers, while an individual with no internship is around 30 percent.
“A student must be determined,” Karraker said. “Everyone has the ability to intern. Everyone should want the drive to improve their chances of getting a job post-graduation.”
There are plenty of opportunities through Murray State to intern in either a specific area of study or as a general internship.
Story by Kelsey Randolph, Staff writer.