GRADUATES Internships prove to be a valuable student experience

Of this year's college graduates, 89 percent did at least one internship.
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
As a summer intern, Ashley Sherman has something that makes her the envy of friends who have part-time jobs flipping burgers.
"I have business cards," said the 17-year-old high school graduate, who is spending the summer working as a bank teller in Tooele, Utah.
More important, Sherman sees her internship leading to a job at the bank when she starts college this fall.
She and her peers recognize that more than ever in today's tight labor market, internships and part-time jobs in their chosen career fields are crucial to helping them land full-time work.
"An internship is a way for companies to preview potential employees," said Stan Inman, University of Utah career services director.
And even if they don't rely on internships to screen entry-level candidates, companies ask job applicants questions about teamwork and test problem-solving skills that reach beyond the classroom.
"They can't answer if they never had the experience of an internship," Inman said.
Internships are available in nearly every field from accounting to zoology. Inman said media/communications, marketing and finance in particular are fields that offer numerous internships.
Statistics
Eighty-nine percent of students graduating from college this year reported having had at least one interning experience, according to New York-based Vault Inc., an online jobs site and publishing firm.
That percentage is up dramatically from 1995, when only 63 percent of the college graduating class reported having served an internship.
In the past school year at the University of Utah, more than 1,000 students were enrolled in credit-related internship classes that generated about 4,800 credit hours, Inman said.
In a down economy where layoffs abound, most internships are unpaid. Vault reports 55 percent of interns receive no money for their work.
Nevertheless, experience and contacts made during internships make them worthwhile, said Paula Fowler, director of education and community outreach for Utah Opera.
Her organization hires 12 to 15 interns a year from high schools and colleges and most do not get paid. Interns work on and behind the stage in the scenic design studio and the costume shop, for example.
"It's important to get behind the scenes and a great experience to write on a resume," Fowler said. "It also reminds you how magical it is to see how performances are put together."
The experience has been magical for Erin Barra, who has interned for the Utah Opera for three years.
The 18-year-old has played the piano since age 4 and became a fan of opera because her father played classical music.
Barra did a composition internship with the group. She worked with voice, piano, violins and guitar to make music for an original opera.
"It spurred me on to keep song writing and experiment in other music like jazz," she said.
This fall Barra will attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston and credits her internship for getting her the recommendations and mentorship she needed to get accepted.
She also hopes the experience will help her get work with the Boston Lyric Opera.
"It helped me gain confidence in what I want to do," she said. "I want to write my own songs and hopefully make money."