Full-time position proposed to create greater awareness of career opportunities.
SDSU has never had a full-time internship coordinator despite being highly sought after and despite students’ troubles with finding internships in their prospective field.
As part of SA’s vision statement, a new full-time internship coordinator and support staff would be a new feature of the 2013 Union expansion. SA Vice President Anthony Sutton said with the expansion in the design stage, this offers as good a time as any to step in and put the idea on the table.
“It’s important to make people view this as an investment instead of an expense,” he said.
While some departments on campus send occasional e-mails to students about internships, most students either do not know or have no interest in the narrow range of internship opportunities that are sent out.
Dan Schodjt, senior microbiology major from Hot Springs S.D., said that internships are “definitely a good thing and show you put in some effort.” As a future scientist, experience is crucial in obtaining a career or getting into graduate school. However, Schodjt has yet to acquire an internship, not for lack of trying. He expressed frustration with the current status quo on campus with regards to internship guidance.
“We need someone to help students get a foot in the door,” Schodjt said.
Union Director Jennifer Novotny agrees with Sutton that The Union would be a good location for an internship coordinator as part of a new Office of Student Engagement that will help with career development.
“It makes sense to be housed in The Student Union for easy and quick access for students,” Novotny said.
As part of the vision for the internship coordinator, Sutton said this person would be communicating with departments on campus in order to compile internship opportuniti
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