Tips for Internships and Career Services
Cierra Smith, Staff Writer
As many college students may know, the stresses of getting out into the workforce after spending four years earning a degree can be monumental. During those four years, the students spend the majority of their time researching what they want to do and who they want to be once graduating, and that can also be an added stress. Depending on the school, there are an abundance of different resources on-campus that can help aid in the process of finding employment, as well as prepare students with the necessary experience that they may need when entering the workforce.
Here at Wingate, we have just that! The Office of Internships and Career Services, is an on-campus organization that aims to help students find internships and jobs prior to graduation, as well as serve as a resource for students when it comes to the different aspects of their majors.
In an interview with the Assistant Director of the office, Candice Sturdivant, she was able to lay out a few key things about her job, as well as valuable information about the Office of Internships and Career Services. When talking about internships, it’s important to know what they actually are.
Candice described internships as opportunities for students to learn more about a career that interests them, as well as a way to gain real-world job experience through hands-on learning. With internships, not only are they essential when it comes to gaining experience in your career-field of choice, but they are also great resume builders.
Candice stressed that it is not imperative to have an internship, but did mention that having one could give you the upper hand when it comes to interviewing for jobs once graduating from college.
In the Office of Internships and Career Services, there are six career advisors, including Candice, who serve as allies to help students within particular majors get their careers started. They work with students to build resumes, find what career they want to go into, as well as aid them in other areas of academics.
The office also has an online database, CareerGate, which populates the legitimate jobs and internships in the areas surrounding Wingate and the database is meant to be used as a tool for students looking for employment opportunities.
During the interview, Candice mentioned that the office looks at other job databases and personally picks out jobs that they know will be of interest to students and jobs that relate to the majors here at Wingate. As the interview wrapped up, Candice shared that the most rewarding part of working in the Office of Internships and Career Services is being able to help students navigate their way through their college journey and seeing all of the success stories of the students who visited the office while in college.
Candice also said that the most challenging part was advertising the office and getting more students into their doors. One last thing that Candice stressed during the interview was to not be afraid to stop by the office, which is located on the first floor of Alumni Hall. All of the career advisers are there to help students in any way that they can when it comes to their career of choice and enjoy being an ally for students here at Wingate.
Edited by: Sara Gunter
Wingate Triangle 