Philosophy majors — along with other liberal arts majors in general — have a wide range of job possibilities open to them. According to career counselors, the best way to connect with these job possibilities is by means of an internship. Internships are a
bridge to the workplace, potentially giving you both vital contacts and valuable work-related experience.
The nature and value of internships
Internships are critical opportunities for liberal arts students to explore career interests, gain essential skills specific to professional disciplines, and increase their marketability to employers. Employers also benefit from internships by getting
a jump on recruiting qualified and skilled employees while meeting project needs and improving processes or procedures.
What is an internship?
An internship is a work experience that integrates practical experience in the workplace with reflection, research, and other academic work. It is a planned, structured, and supervised experience that enables students to gain career-related work
experience before graduating.
Internships are opportunities to “try-on” and explore various career options while developing communication, teamwork, leadership, and other industry specific skills. Graduating with internship experience is essential in
today’s job market.
Internships: Crucial in today’s job market
Today, participating in internships is crucial for students. Internships provide students with many benefits including:
- Gain critical skills specific to professional disciplines.
- Increase their marketability to employers after graduation.
- Opportunity to explore career interests and make educated choices about what type of environment they want to work in after graduation.
- Gain self-confidence in the workplace.
- Learn how to interact professionally.
- Ease the transition from college to their chosen vocation.
- Earn course credit and possibly money.
- Establish contacts for letters of reference and networking
Practical steps to take
The Center for Career and Calling provides an extensive amount of information about internships, including an FAQ, information about finding an internship, and more.
The Center includes Handshake, your connection to internships and jobs.