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How important is it to get a job or internship going into college as a freshman?
I want to decide what my priorities are in college. A job is a good source of money and may even be beneficial towards one's future career. On the contrary however, it may hinder my studies if I am too immersed in my job/internship.
#college-jobs #college-bound
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Josh’s Answer
Great question and something that should be planned for. I'll lay out a sample plan that I feel is practical for you and others in similar situation.
Going into college - Having an internship centered around your major is not needed. If your High School has an internship-like program as a Senior, yes - take that opportunity as it helps with the college admission process.
Once at college...
1st year - Focus on classes. Work on building base foundational knowledge of your major and area of study. Practice answering questions about who you are and what you want to do post-graduation. Use the career fairs at your school to live practice answering the questions like 'Tell me about '. Use the same career fairs as ways to interview the companies, asking good questions outside of 'What do you do?' Start to build/ update your resume. Seek out a local internship with a small company for the summer between year 1 & 2. Maybe you don't call it an internship and you are just summer help or a part-time employee while you go to school. If it's touching some aspects of what you want to be, it's experience.
2nd year - Focus on classes. Continue to work on your personal elevator pitch or impact statement. Continue to interview companies at career fairs. If your major has stayed the same and you have more clarity around what you might want to do with a degree, now is the time to go after the companies you've interviewed at the previous year. What company fits who you are? Do they have the type of work you want? Your pitch/ impact statement has grown and because you've practiced it live, the nerves are waaaay less. Snag the internship for the summer between your 2nd and 3rd year.
3rd year - By now, you are in upper level classes for sure. Continue to explore other companies and other internship opportunities. You don't necessarily need to go back to the original company (unless you LOVE them). Your second internship falls in the summer between your 3rd and 4th year.
4th year - From your 2nd internship, you hopefully have a job offer waiting. You can relax on where you'll be after school. Focus on classes in order to graduate and enjoy! If you don't have an offer, you've been working the fairs for three years now, know the companies, and with two internships and maybe a part-time job, you've got enough experience to get a role.
I hope this helps. I know I went beyond the 'internship going into college'.
Going into college - Having an internship centered around your major is not needed. If your High School has an internship-like program as a Senior, yes - take that opportunity as it helps with the college admission process.
Once at college...
1st year - Focus on classes. Work on building base foundational knowledge of your major and area of study. Practice answering questions about who you are and what you want to do post-graduation. Use the career fairs at your school to live practice answering the questions like 'Tell me about '. Use the same career fairs as ways to interview the companies, asking good questions outside of 'What do you do?' Start to build/ update your resume. Seek out a local internship with a small company for the summer between year 1 & 2. Maybe you don't call it an internship and you are just summer help or a part-time employee while you go to school. If it's touching some aspects of what you want to be, it's experience.
2nd year - Focus on classes. Continue to work on your personal elevator pitch or impact statement. Continue to interview companies at career fairs. If your major has stayed the same and you have more clarity around what you might want to do with a degree, now is the time to go after the companies you've interviewed at the previous year. What company fits who you are? Do they have the type of work you want? Your pitch/ impact statement has grown and because you've practiced it live, the nerves are waaaay less. Snag the internship for the summer between your 2nd and 3rd year.
3rd year - By now, you are in upper level classes for sure. Continue to explore other companies and other internship opportunities. You don't necessarily need to go back to the original company (unless you LOVE them). Your second internship falls in the summer between your 3rd and 4th year.
4th year - From your 2nd internship, you hopefully have a job offer waiting. You can relax on where you'll be after school. Focus on classes in order to graduate and enjoy! If you don't have an offer, you've been working the fairs for three years now, know the companies, and with two internships and maybe a part-time job, you've got enough experience to get a role.
I hope this helps. I know I went beyond the 'internship going into college'.
Updated
Gwendolyn’s Answer
I interned a few times in college and found them very, very helpful in increasing my understanding of what I had learned in class. I was fortunate to get a paid design internship my senior year, but I also took an unpaid summer internship. I reached out to my advisor and was able to get an elective credit for my unpaid internship, which meant I had one less elective class to take. Keep a good relationship with your advisor/dean and that could help balance your class/job/internship time!