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“I have a position waiting for me the day I graduate,” he said.

According to Hamline’s Career Development Center (CDC), internships are student-planned and -directed learning experiences that provide opportunities to integrate academic, professional, and personal skill development.

Not every job can qualify as an internship, however. The internship must include a Hamline faculty supervisor and a site supervisor in order to satisfy the Hamline Plan LEAD requirement. It must also be approved by the CDC.

Rich Manke, director of the CDC, recommends that every student participate in two internships. Students should start looking for pertinent internship opportunities as soon as they begin college, Manke said.

“In this economy, employers look less into specific majors, and instead, look more at experience,” Manke said. He added that internships also allow students to test out possible career fields.

“It’s a good experience. It helped me decide whether or not I wanted to be in the field. Now I’m sure I want to be work in physical therapy,” said sophomore Dan Gabel, a physical therapy intern.

Along with helping fulfill the Hamline Plan and strengthen resumes, the internship process itself is a learning experience.

“The application process is a way of learning how to do a job search,” Manke said. “The earlier the person begins the process, the more success that person will have, regardless of interests.”

First-year Stephanie Olson, a religion major, already has an internship at a children’s ministry.

“Internships allow you to get a lot of experience under your belt, even if it's just for volunteer work,” she said.

Students who want to decide if an internship is right for them can call the CDC office and set up an appointment. The office does have a list of possible internships, but, according to Manke, “we don’t get in the way of a student if he or she knows what they want as far as programs go.” The CDC is located on the first floor of Drew Hall of Science.