2010-2011 student handbook - El Camino College Compton Center

Career
Planning
The only way to make college work for you in the long run is to
use the academic learning, practical experience, and
important connections you have gained during your four years
and parlay them into a career that you’re passionate about.
Aside from studying hard and doing your best in your classes,
there are several things you will want to consider doing while
you are still in college:
• Find An Internship. It’s a dirty little secret in the
working world, but it’s the truth: even so-called
entry-level jobs often require you to have practical
experience and on-the-job training. So how does one
get this experience? One common way to get this
necessary experience before you graduate is to invest
your time in an internship.
An internship is a temporary, often unpaid position set up solely
for the purpose of allowing the intern to gain practical experience
in a particular career area.
In addition to the experience, an internship will help you
establish important connections with people who will be able to
provide references and letters of recommendation for you when
you start to look for your full-time career.
A strong letter of recommendation or a kind word on the phone
to an interviewer from an established person in your profession
can mean the difference between getting the job of your dreams,
or getting your resume shuffled to the shredding machine.
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