In the traditional stereotype, interns are little more than glorified maids, making food runs or doing menial tasks for their employers. Many students at UCSD have found that practical hands-on learning is not a part of the experience, and some question the utility of unpaid internships entirely. But given contrary evidence, like the emphasis employers give to life skills at the interview stage over GPA, it is difficult to weigh the opportunity costs of pursuing an internship. In recent studies and interviews, employers have expressed disappointment in recent graduates’ ability to apply what they’ve learned in a work environment, dramatically increasing the pressure to get practical work experience.
As a chemistry major, it was practical for John Muir College senior Natalie Spritzer to intern at Novartis, a pharmaceutical company. As an intern, Spritzer did research in a state-of-the-art facility, working with other scientists in synthetic-organic chemistry and the development and discovery of new medications. Her goal was to become a researcher and develop cures for diseases such as cancer. However, she soon discovered that learning about chemistry in the classroom was nothing like true research. As Spritzer observed her coworkers, she realized that she had drastically underestimated the amount of dedication involved in scientific research.
A fellow scientist once told her, “”Science is about 99 percent failure,”” driving her to question whether or not the long hours and years of dedication invested in an experiment that could lead to nothing was worth it.
Spritzer began to see, through her internship, that science wasn’t a field she could make into a career. Her experience encouraged her to explore other career options. Spritzer later learned that many diseases found only in Third World countries were left untreated, with some experts arguing that low profit incentives prevent pharmaceutical companies from creating cures. She is now a pre-med student and a Third World studies major. Spritzer said she felt that her passion for working with the underprivileged could be better realized as a doctor than as a researcher.
A single summer internship left Spritzer with a new perspective on her future. But the benefits didn’t end there. She earned four unit toward graduation through UCSD’s Academic Internship Program, which ultimately garnered her a $5,000 scholarship from the Biotechnology Employee Development Coalition for her work with Novartis.
AIP is one organization on campus that constantly deals with the problems stemming from students’ lack of experience. Created in 1976, AIP sits on the second floor of the Literature Building in Earl Warren College. UCSD designed AIP to give students real-world experience in any field of interest and set the program up as an upper-division general elective class. With over 5,000 internship opportunities, from scientific research to theater, the group farms out a litany of internship opportunities to any student wanting to test the waters of a potential career.
Participating companies are carefully screened to ensure that they do not take advantage of the interns, but provide an environment where students can learn and develop practical skills for careers in their field. Students who have found internships on their own can also receive UCSD credit if it is cleared by AIP staff and the student completes all other requirements. Last year, 713 students participated in AIP.
“”Students are becoming more aware of the value of internships,”” said Elise Tiregol, director and internship counselor for AIP.
Internships provide many benefits, including connections with professionals in various fields and basic job skills such as creating resumes and interviewing. College graduates often enter the work force with only classroom training. The on-site training that internships afford allows students to practice what they will be doing when hired. It is this practice that gives the applicant a foot in the door.
“”Employers place a lot of importance on relevant work experience,”” Executive Director of the National Association of Colleges and Employers Marilyn Mackes stated in a press release. “”For new college graduates that experience is typically gained through an internship or participation in a cooperative education assignment.””
Internships also provide an insider’s look at possible careers for those who don’t quite have their five-year plan figured out. In a 2005 survey of new students done by the UCSD Office of Student Research and Information, 20.3 percent of freshmen were undecided about possible career choices upon admission. When the general education classes fail to spark someone’s interest in a major, internships provide an opportunity to learn exactly what an animal physiology and neuroscience major will be doing in the real world.
“”The internship gives both the employer and the student the opportunity to ‘try each other on for size,'”” Mackes stated. “”Both have the opportunity to see if there is a good fit between the organization and the potential employee.””
NACE’s 2006 Experiential Education Survey reported that employers hired 53 percent of interns last year to full-time positions. The report also indicated that nearly half of responding employers offered students with internship experience higher salaries than those who did not have that experience.
Internships can also give students insight into whether or not their proposed career is what they expected.
If a student can get an internship that involves more than washing and drying test tubes or brewing the best pot of coffee in the office, the work experience can open doors to experience the world of their careers.
“”Internships are probably the most beneficial things you can do as an undergraduate,”” Spritzer said.
