Internships help today’s student get ahead in a competitive job market

Gregg Bolden

In today’s slumping economy it is important distinguish oneself from the many others that are pursuing the same career path.  

It is one thing to have excellent grades, but grades alone are not enough.

Employers are looking more and more at experience, since there could be hundreds of people applying for one position.

One way for students to give themselves an advantage and gain valuable experience is by pursuing an internship in their field of study.

Susan Taffer, internship program coordinator at MCC, said one of the main benefits of taking advantage of an internship is “bridging the classroom experience with real world experience, and making what is learned in the classroom more valuable.”

Not only does an internship student gain experience in the work place, but they also gain exposure to a different environment than they would have encountered otherwise.  

Grant Tackett, a mass communication and journalism graduate from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, participated in two internships with the Arizona Capital Times during his school career.

“Without those internships, I would have been lost after graduating.  

“They really helped me get a feel for what life was going to be like in the real world,” said Tackett.

MCC currently offers internships in a number of fields ranging from music and entertainment to journalism.

The MCC website contains a listing of all the internship programs that are currently offered.  

Students are also able to propose new internships to Taffer, who meets with employers to see whether or not their workplace fits the requirements for an internship.

This is, however, a time consuming process, so it is best to plan ahead.

The benefits and experience that internships offer are numerous.

Students should at least take a look at what options are available and may be suitable for them.

  • Mesa Legend Staff

    These are archived stories from Mesa Legend editions before Fall 2018. See article for corresponding author.

Welcome to the Mesa Legend! Subscribe to know more about what goes on at Mesa Community College!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *