Hajrah Khan

Internships are professional job positions that allow students to gain firsthand experience for a certain period in a professional field they are interested in. Internships can be completed for experience and college credits, and there are paid and unpaid internships that students can attain, which can be a great stepping stone into many careers.

According to Professor Patricia Collins, the Internship Coordinator for the Criminal Justice Major at Penn State Abington, all students could benefit from an internship; she recommends that they take advantage of the career services offered at Penn State.

“Internships take the classroom experience and bring it to life,” she says.

“Students should start to explore their options as early as possible,” she says. She encourages students to use the resources available to them. “Talk to your professors, talk to guest speakers, talk to your neighbors and coworkers. Do your research!”

I took this advice and in doing so, I gained valuable work experience. Recently, I started an internship recently with Judge Sawyer in the Criminal Justice Center. The position has given me an overview of many professional positions within the court system. Since I started my internship I have experienced how lawyers prepare for cases, how the Judge prepares for trials and learned about the importance of paperwork to the criminal justice system. 

Another perk of an internship includes the ability to network. Working and interacting with many professionals in a field that you are interested in will allow you to open professional doors. The Manhattan Early College for Advertising is a site for students to provide excellent education and the support necessary to help students succeed in their education and career. According to MECA Benefits of Internship “A network can help a student make well-informed decisions about their career and connect them with other professionals or opportunities that will help a student achieve success in a field.” Students can learn what the roles and responsibilities of a particular career are from professionals working in that field. 

In my internship, I have access to a huge network of law professionals in the field such as lawyers, judges, law students, police officers, and law clerks. In networking from my internship I was able to find and participate in outside programs that the Judge works with, like Fruit of the Family Tree, Power Corps, and The Reawakening Agency and many more; these programs help defendants get back on their feet after being released into the community. 

An internship also gives students the opportunity to gain confidence in a particular job field and exposes them to the work experience of different positions that they may want to pursue in the long run. This will also allow students to apply knowledge and theories that they have learned in class to a professional working environment. 

Students develop practical and professional skills as they dive deeper into their internships. This helps students practice and better their soft skills such as communication, time management, critical thinking, and teamwork. These skills are highlighted in applying to graduate schools and jobs in any field. 

In addition to the aforementioned benefits, many internships are likely to hire the students that interned with them, assist them by providing a reference, and write letters of recommendation for graduate schools. Good relationships will help students to make sure they get great experience and make the transition into the workforce easier. 

According to Professor Collins “, Whether a student enjoys his or her internship or realizes that line of work isn’t for them, internships help students explore career options and goals.” For the student that confirms their career choice (and maybe receives a job offer),” she says, “it’s the best-case scenario.” For those who “now question their choices, this early discovery assists with reconsidering options B, C, D, and E.”