THE VALUE OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
ship can demonstrate that you are a person with some experience);
Landing a permanent position with the internship provider itself, or closely- related work;
Learning how to behave and how to interact in a professional setting— showing up on time, with a positive attitude, and with ideas to improve the outcomes of your work;
Networking with professional col- leagues and in professional societies - finding mentors and learning from them;
If the internship provides pay, you can get PAID!;
When you come back to the classroom from an internship, you will typically find new passions to pursue, and new- found motivation to succeed in school;
Accomplishing a major project from your internship that documents your accomplishments and proves your ability to work with a team; and
Obtaining a good reference for future job applications from your internship provider.
How to Find an Internship
Though there are lots of resources available to help you find an appro- priate internship, typically you will have to take the initiative to get the process started. And plan on many months—even up to a year—to find the right internship for you. Some college advisors, department heads, or college internship offices can be of great help, but you will need to contact various peo- ple and try various strategies to research what is available. Many colleges have regularly-scheduled job and internship fairs on campus, and most professional geoscience organizations have formal or informal events at meetings. Use the information and links in Table 1 below to get started. Once you have some ideas, go to your advisor or department head to learn what has worked well for students in the past. Some things that sound good on paper might not be as good as they appear; others might be wonderful, but only one student in the U.S. will win the internship. That one student could be you, but don’t count on it: Be sure to FORMULATE a PLAN B, a PLAN C, etc.
Rules for Internships—Don’t Miss This!!
Colleges and universities have their own rules and requirements that must
be met before you do the internship, if you need to have course credit for an internship appear on your college tran- script. In order to take an internship for credit at your home college or university, be sure you understand and follow the rules and requirements to allow you to do so and obtain credit. Typically, your school and the agency/company/ organization will need to execute an internship agreement, which typically specifies whether or not you will be paid, who the contacts are at the agency and your school, schedules of reporting and feedback on the student intern, and who will be covering your “workers compen- sation insurance.”
Speaking of pay, some internship providers will insist on paying the stu- dent, others can never pay a student, and others haven’t decided whether to pay a particular student. Some organi- zations charge tuition for the programs they offer and may provide college credit through an accredited college (which might transfer to your school to meet requirements of your degree program). Negotiations for pay are typically between you and the internship provider—your advisor or department head rarely get involved in pay negotia- tions. Even if you don’t get paid, all is not lost—if you do a good job without pay, internship providers may offer you a job and/or write you a good reference letter. Some departments or colleges have policies that prohibit students from getting BOTH pay and college credit for an internship; others allow both pay and college credit.
Internships We Knew and Loved
One of my (WHH) undergraduate requirements at Middlebury College was to research and write a senior thesis, which we started contemplating at the end of our junior year. I got involved in studying sediment accumulation from paper mills and associated infauna/epi- fauna in the “Lake Champlain Studies” program started by my advisor, Dave Folger. In addition to learning a bit about diesel engines and the judicious use of ether to start a cold engine in the winter (!!), I took a paid internship opportu- nity to work with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office on lake studies. I worked with engineers and geologists, and was responsible for completing analyses on a set time schedule using precise protocols. When the data from that work and my thesis were used in a U. S. Supreme
Court case, I had renewed motivation to go on to graduate school and pursue research. The internship experience and accomplishments allowed me to do both.
For one of us (MJU), a graduate internship fell right into my lap, so to speak. I had just begun my mas- ter’s degree in Earth Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado, when the first author of this article forwarded me a solicitation for an intern posi- tion at AIPG Headquarters from then Executive Director Bill Siok, CPG-4773. I eagerly expressed interest, and just a few short days later, I was visiting with Bill about the possibility of what turned out to be a paid internship with AIPG. As I was a former earth science teacher, he was interested in having me develop some materials about geology and what geologists do. The end products of the internship were several fact sheets and a brochure. I had taught geology and oceanography as part of the earth science curriculum as a teacher, but researching specifically about petroleum resources, fractionation, climate change, and more, helped me to better understand in detail more practical aspects and applications of geology. The simple act of researching led to a better understanding of how to conduct literature research and paid dividends when it came to completing my final master’s project. As an added benefit, Bill took me to various meetings of the professional geology community, which was extremely valuable to me per- sonally and professionally. I count the AIPG internship as one of the principal cogs in the wheelhouse of my profes- sional success in graduate school, and it was one of only a handful of experiences that spurred me on to future graduate education.
Parting Thoughts
It is not easy to set up an intern- ship—you have to take the lead more often than not. The reason that agencies and companies want student interns is that you may have new ideas, novel ways of approaching problems, and different strategies even in the questions you ask. The companies and agencies are able to approach problems with fresh perspectives because you are there. If the internship provider offers you a job—that’s great! But if not, you often will have made many contacts with asso- ciated industries and agencies that have a chance to meet you in a professional setting. Compared to your classmates
www.aipg.org
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