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The Power of Internship and Hands-on Experience in Today’s Job Market 

Posted: June 29, 2022 — Being an academic advisor at FM for over a decade, I often recommended that a student consider an internship if they had the option in their degree program.  As a SUNY graduate myself (SUNY Oswego, ‘04), I completed three separate internship experiences in my bachelor’s degree, all in varying fields of public relations.  It was that variety that enabled me to list real-world experience on my resume, which helped lead to interview opportunities.  And as a result of having those hands-on skills and examples to share in an interview, I’m confident my internships prepared me in a way that coursework alone could not.

In my new role at FM as the Director of External Partnerships and Applied Learning, I’m now working with employers very often and developing these internship sites and opportunities for our students.  I’m seeing first-hand the student transformation pre and post internship experience. It’s incredible how a hands-on learning experience, even for just one semester, can help a student mature in a degree and gain the necessary confidence to become gainfully employed.

Internships are often used by an employer as a trial period for potential hiring.  In fact, in the past few weeks, more than 10 FM students were offered and accepted full-time employment from their internship sites or through contacts they made from their internship supervisor and networking.  That was more than half of the students who chose to take an internship this past semester.  Those positions include phlebotomy, addiction services, graphic arts designer, early childhood education worker, television and communications, cultivation technicians, and more.

Real-world experience through internships and applied learning allows a student to apply the theory they learn in the classroom, to on the job.  Interacting with customers and co-workers in real life allows a person to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.  You will often work in a team environment and learn the “soft skills” that employers are always searching for in applicants.  Andrea Scribner, FM’s Career and Transfer Advisor, often works with employers to list job openings for FM students and graduates.  “Employers contact me regularly looking for both part-time student workers, and FM Alumni. It doesn’t matter if it’s a position in healthcare, human services, criminal justice, HVAC, or any of our majors, the common denominator in those job descriptions is a person who has the soft skills.  Soft skills are those undefined skills that makes an employee a great asset to a company or organization.  This ranges from showing up on time, being dependable, taking initiative or leadership roles without being asked, and handling issues or conflicts in a professional manner.  It’s hard to list this in a job description sometimes, but the employers usually tell me the soft skills are just as important, if not more important, than some of the technical qualifications.  Employers often tell me they can train someone to learn the on-the-job requirements and day-to-day responsibilities, but they need to have the right person for that job to do so.”

Many programs at FM and throughout SUNY allow a student to choose an internship for degree requirements.  It’s important for students to ask questions and to think about the long-term and what their resume will show when it comes time to apply for that first real career.  If you are an employer looking for student interns, or a potential FM student looking for more information on what we have to offer, please contact Christie Davis at 518-736-(FMCC) 3622, ext. 8931, or at christie.davis@fmcc.edu

This article was written by Christie Davis, Director of External Partnerships & Applied Learning at FMCC.             

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