In a Senior's Words: Benefits of Internships

During my sophomore year at Curry College, the last thing on my mind was interning or my life after college. Of course my parents had been reminding me on a daily basis about my future and how important interning was, however I was a sophomore; I had no concern for anything but getting through my classes and looking forward to the spring semester. Before I knew it, I was a junior. I slowly started to see my friends intern, get more involved with school, and gain a serious advantage on their future. I quickly realized that if I didn’t start taking my future serious, it would not be looking too good. I jumped into gear and headed to Career Services. I think I spent about two hours in Career Services that day. I was shocked! There was actually a place on campus that could not only help me with finding an internship, but with jobs!

I came across a position at Lombardo’s Function Hall in Randolph. It sounded great; I went in for an interview and was hired on the spot. My second semester junior year I began my first Internship. The first month or two at Lombardo’s was great. I was getting credit to do something I found a lot more interesting than class. I really got a sense of what it would be like to get up and go to work everyday. My experience at Lombardo’s was definitely a great first internship. I learned what I did and didn’t like about the event planning industry and gained experience that will definitely help me in my future career.

One of the most important things I learned from my internship with Lombardo’s, was just how important doing an internship was. I definitely had to work my way up to my second internship. Lombardo’s gave me experience and useful background knowledge on the event planning industry. Although it was not my ideal job, because I interned I had so many more options the second time I began applying for internships. My experience at Lombardo’s gave me the option to choose a second internship, instead of taking the only one that was offered. Experience is key, whether it is interning or in the work world.

My second internship was my first semester senior year. I was an intern at the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts (AICUM). I was hired as a corporate/ political event planner for the company. This was probably the coolest internship I could ever imagine. I worked as a paid intern in Boston next to the State House. My experience at AICUM was extremely fulfilling and rewarding. The connections I made through my internship at AICUM will be forever helpful to me.

What I learned most during my two internships while at Curry was experience matters. My first internship was a great learning experience. Did I absolutely love it? No. However without that experience I would not have been qualified for the internship position I obtained the next semester. Internships are all about experience and gaining knowledge. I feel much more confident graduating in a few months, now knowing what the real world entails. In my opinion, interning is the fastest way to get your resume looked at. Think about it, while it might be great you played a sport in college for 4 years that took up a lot of time and showed team work, it’s more important that you got experience in the workforce. Finding an internship at Curry is simple, helpful, and important! For the longest time I thought graduation was so far away and the only important thing was staying academically stable, however I was wrong. All of sudden I’m graduating in 3 months, and my sophomore year feels like yesterday. The best thing I did for my future was walk into Career Services that day two years ago. College flies by and I feel much more confident heading out into the real world next year with two internship under my belt.

~Chelsea Bennett, Career Services Student Ambassador