PA4486 internship class requirements:

Welcome to your Fall 2011 quarter internship search during Summer quarter2011. Start searching now!
As a part of your education, you will be taking the class PA4486 Internship and complete a 120 hour (minimum) internship, during Summer 2011 quarter, at a company directly in or closely related to your field of study. A majority of the class is online participation with your teacher and fellow interns as well as the internship at a company. No tests. No homework. Sounds great right? It is.

The hard part is getting the internship. We do not get students internships. The academic department, that’s Claire and me, and the Career Services, do not “get” you an internship.

Getting an internship is your job.
We may hear about internship leads, but it’s your work, your personality, your motivation, and hard work that gets the internship. So start searching now. Talk to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Timeline

• It’s the beginning of the quarter. You have eleven weeks left to secure your internship for next quarter. Don’t plan on using your break to secure your internship. It’s too late then.
• If you have not already started, start your investigation into the local industry, community, and companies you wish to target.
• By July 25th, 2011 you should have found a plethora of leads, had correspondence with five potential internship sites, at completed least a couple of interviews. Getting and securing an internship takes months. Just ask the students how are doing internships now.
• By July 31st, 2011 you should have one, if not two, strong internship opportunities within your grasp. If internship #1 falls through, you have a backup plan or you will have enough time to follow up with other interviews you have had to develop a final internship from them.
• By October 3rd, 2011 you should have the official signed internship documentation by you and your employer to me or your instructor. You can get these official documents day or night online here.

Final internship deadline is October 3rd, 2011, 12:00PM CST. Miss this deadline and you will not taking the internship class and may not graduate.

What you need to do first
This all starts with you getting in contact with me. Please respond to this email with the following:

• Your preferred means of contact:
• Phone;
• Cell phone;
• Email: (other than this one).
• Where you are planning on searching: fields you are to research and companies you are planning on talking to?

Facts

• If you haven’t started your internship search, start today, start now, start this very minute. It takes a company weeks, potentially months to decide on an intern. They try to coordinate an intern with certain projects. You don’t have a lot of time.
• You should plan an interview a week, each week, this quarter. Do the math. That’s eleven interviews! I’d say if your good at what we have taught you, you have one in eleven chances at landing an internship.
• Career Services is best at helping support you and your search by the basics:
• Resume writing
• Cover letter
• Searching techniques.
• Interviewing techniques
• Professionalism and communication practices
• I can also coach or give advice as needed.

What you need to do first
This all starts with you getting in contact with me. Please respond to this email with the following:

• Your preferred means of contact:
• Phone;
• Cell phone;
• Email: (other than this one).
• Where you are planning on searching: fields you are to research and companies you are planning on talking to?