College Placement Consulting

By the age of 13 I had decided that I wanted to work in the fashion industry and I was positively sure that I was going to go to college and major in some field of fashion. I had complete tunnel vision and applied only to schools with fashion majors but here I am a senior and I have switched majors 3 times. I am now studying human services- not even close to fashion.  I have come to cherish the idea that experience is the best teacher. The trial and error experiences that come about by participating in internships can help lead you in the right direction before you get out in the real world and at that point it won’t be as easy to change your course. 

As I reflect back on the past few years I realize that internships played a key role in my development because I was able to pick apart which aspects of each experience I loved, what parts were just ok, and what parts were absolutely dreadful. I strongly suggest that you consider internships to be a part of your education, just like classes and homework. The opportunity to get your feet wet in your field, and in the real world, can help bring about motivation, passion, and confidence. It can also bring about emotions that may signal the need for a re-evaluation of personal and career-oriented objectives. I am in my last semester of my undergraduate career and I am still scurrying to try and arrange one last internship to continue to build up my confidence that I am in the right field when I graduate and look for employment.

Do not assume that internships are only for juniors and seniors. Do a quick Google search and look up local businesses or organizations that share some common ground with your career goals. Whether you have 2 free hours a week or 15 hours, try contacting some of these community organizations and see if you can stick your head in and pick their minds a little bit. The information you can gather from exposures like this is as valuable as anything that you will learn in a classroom. Just getting out and spreading your name around in the field could lead to a number of internships. Don’t underestimate the value of being able to list internship experiences and references on your resume.

I used the SAT preparation services provided by College Placement Consulting when I was in high school and the summer before my senior year I called up the office and asked if there was any chance that I do a casual internship to try and explore my interest in college preparation and admissions. After spending one day a week in the office over the summer, I now continue to blog and learn about the field, and I cannot even begin to explain how influential this experience has been in helping me focus on my career pathway. The ladies of College Placement Consulting welcomed me as their intern with open arms and now they are being more than generous with references and with helping me create a network of connections and contacts that could potentially lead to my future employment. Not all internships are going to lead you down the magical yellow brick road but for everything you don’t like about an experience, you take one step closer to realizing what you would like. Start interning early, keep an open mind, and don’t burn bridges. Get out there and jump in.