University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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All Work, Low Pay Until you get into the real world, Terry Nelson, TV production senior, said, you don ' t know what you ' re missing. Unfortunately, what one was usually miss- ing after graduation was the necessary ex- perience needed to get a job. Many students were caught in a vicious cycle: companies wouldn ' t give them a job unless they had experience, but they couldn ' t get experience without a job. Internship programs, how- ever, were one of the most effective ways to break this cycle. Through internship programs, students took jobs with established companies. Some received course credit for working. While the program enabled students to gain ex- perience in their fields and to make valuable contacts, it also provided companies with a reliable source of labor and an opportunity to scout new talent. It ' s the best class they could possibly offer because it ' s the only way to get experience, Jeff Farrell, advertising senior, said. Farrell interned as assistant to the media director at the Robert Miller Advertising Agency. Because of the skills he exhibited as an intern, he was offered a full-time paying position with that company after he com- pleted his degree. Geophysics students were able to substitute a paid internship for a required six-week summer field camp. Most interned with oil companies, but some opted for research lab- oratories. According to Clark Wilson, faculty adviser to the program, students received credit by making a report to their class about their jobs. The most difficult part of most internship programs was finding a job. In most cases, students had to seek out employment on their own and then get their job approved by a faculty member. You have to go out on your own to volunteer at a hospital or clinic, Carl Pittman, pre-med sophomore, said. The College of Engineering ' s Co- Operative Program allowed students to al- ternate semesters of working and going to school. If somebody goes to school part-time and works part-time, something ' s got to give, Dick Jacobs, adviser to the enginering pro- gram, said. Instead, students worked 40 hours a week for a semester, then came back to school for a semester. They alternated semesters until they completed one year of work under the guidance of a professional engineer. Students received three hours of credit for their work and a letter grade, which was based on employer evaluations and written reports from the students. Moreover, unlike many internships in other colleges, jobs with such well-known companies as IBM, Exxon and NASA paid very well. The program was very popular among en- gineering students, and an average of 150 students were accepted into the program each semester. Jacobs believed the students were able to get a more realistic view of their future careers than they could get from a part-time job. This program helps them validate their choice of a career before it ' s too late to change, Jacobs said. It also greatly facil- itates their placement after graduation. Most students recognized the necessity of gaining such experience. Despite the long hours and heavy work loads that accompa- nied many internships, they considered them worthwhile. It ' s not necessarily the degree that ' s im- portant; you need experience, Nelson, an intern with the media department at Micro Computer Corporation, said. School is a great base, but an internship is invaluable. Debbie Wolantejus The job market requires both experience and skills; through the internship program students develop both and earn some extra cash sometimes Internships 29

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RADIO DAYS: April Ferrino, radio-television- film senior, assists morning disc jockey Mike Butts at B-93 radio station. photo by Pat Humphries. ALMOST MADISON AVENUE: Jeff Farrell, advertising senior, interns with the Robert Miller Advertising Agency. He was offerred a full-time job with the agency after graduation. photo by George Bridges Al ' 28 Internships

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RAP SESSION: Colleen Copeland, Anitra Lewis and David Dixon attend a peer advising workshop at the Student Health Center. photo by Francis Teixeira. GOOD ADVICE: Robert Poston, biology junior, instructs al- cohol and drug advisors at the workshop. photo by Francis Teixeira. ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION: James Matthews, English senior, displays the proper and safe way to insert spermicidal foam. photo by Robert Kirkham 30 Peer Instructors