Internship

The senior that I chose to interview was Devon Smith also known “Mouse”. Devon is a graduate of Laurel High School and is currently attending Bowie State University. He is a student athlete and a member of the Pedology program. In this interview I will ask questions in regards to his field placement to better understand how and why things work when entering the field. I feel as though I am prepared for my internship, but hopefully after interviewing Devon I won’t be as nervous about my field placement. I realize that the information he presents is imperative to me starting my internship.

Q: What was the hardest part of the field practicum?

A: The hardest part of my field practicum was basically learning all the procedures of your field studies and learning all the policies and procedures once you get there.

Q: How did you feel entering the agency?

A: I felt cool because there wasn’t any stress put on my back because they knew my situation me being an athlete and dealing with academia as well. The school was flexible with my hours as long as I completed whatever they asked me to do.

Q: What was the hardest task you had to perform at your site?

A: The hardest task was getting accustomed to the children to make sure that I follow the procedures when faced with certain situations, like counseling a student, or restraining a student who is out of hand, learning how to encourage a student about academics and how to deal with a student who has behavioral problems.

Q: What weakness did you have that has now become strength since working in the field?

A: The weakness that I had was being sort of like closed off, I mean not totally but it takes me awhile to open up to people but I think that I am more efficient at talking to the kids. They are kind of shy when they first meet you so in order for them to open up I had to let myself go and let them know that it was ok for them to open up. With some one my age it is easier to you know break the ice, but with kids if they don’t come to know or trust you than they hold things back and wont tell you certain things.

Q: What would you like to see different from a policy standpoint?

A: as far as the student suspensions I would rather see them find an alternative to suspending students. If they are suspended then nine times out of ten they miss out on school work and end up falling behind.

Q: What was the most important thing...

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...ew candidates.

Most importantly, it is critical that you get involved in a professional association related to your career interests. Attending events that various organizations offer, maximizes your exposure to the firm that you potentially may intern for, ever-increasing your chances exponentially of receiving an internship.

Lastly, keep in mind that not having an internship program in place does not mean that an organization is unwilling or apathetic in having an intern. While larger firms are more likely to have recognized internship programs, it is possible and probable that firms smaller in size are more than willing and able to hire an intern or build some type of internship program. If you are truly interested in working for an organization, do not hesitate to take the initiative.

After the interview, I thanked Devon for his time and felt more confident in the selection of my field. I knew that this is what I wanted to do but I would have sporadic uncertainties about my abilities and how my transition into the workplace would be. The information that he had provided combined with what I had already knew made me feel more comfortable with pursuing an internship.