Internships: Give back while getting something in return

In addition to exploring possible career opportunities, having both internships and volunteer opportunities (or hours) also helps your chances of getting in to the school of your choice. When the admissions committee sees your initiative to gather some skills and knowledge that may be related to your professional responsibilities, it gives them an idea of how committed you are to your future. So, here are some factors to consider when looking for them:

Internships

The word "internships" sound more official doesn't it? That is because they are official. Employers usually design these programs as a way for their organization to scope potential employees either for immediate or future hiring. They also use this as a way to 'advertise' their company by giving you a taste of how your work situation (e.g perks, benefits etc.) will be like if you worked for them. However, because of this, getting accepted into these programs may be more difficult. Internships usually have an application process wherein you need to fill-out an application form along with a statement about yourself and your achievements. The selection process might also be more competitive since they usually have limited spots for interns. The good thing about these programs though is that they train you in the most important aspects of a certain profession. In this way, you can get the 'big picture' of your future responsibilities if you choose this career path.

Volunteer opportunities

Photo by UBC Library Graphics

Looking for Volunteer programs will usually take more time and effort on your part because some of them may not be well established. For example, I had a tough time looking for experience in an animal hospital setting where I can work closely with veterinarians. Most animal hospitals that I called do not take volunteers. Due to the usual busy hours in an animal clinic, the pet nurses usually do not have time to train volunteers. Even though this is the case, I did not stop looking for a way to get some animal experience.

One place that came to mind was the local animal shelter. Animal shelters are funded by the local government. Thus, they are always looking to reduce their operation cost s by hiring volunteers. Even though this particular shelter only gets visited by a veterinarian once or twice a week, I saw it as a chance to get started on getting the experience that I needed. I volunteered at the animal shelter for about three months while doing general chores such as cleaning, feeding etc.

The volunteers will also host pet adoption days wherein we go out to the local pet supply store such as Petsmart to promote the adoption of the pets in the shelter. This is usually a fun day to meet other people who share the same interests as I do. As an added bonus, I was able to meet another volunteer who was going to quit her part-time job at a pet vaccine clinic in order to take a full-time job opportunity at an animal hospital. Because she knew me from volunteering, she recommended me to her supervisor as her replacement. I got the job at the vaccine clinic due to her recommendation.

After working at the vaccine clinic for six months, I was able to get a job as pet nurse at an animal hospital for two years until I graduated from college. Looking back to this experience, I realized that I may have taken the longer way to get my animal experience but it was all worth the time and effort I spent on it. I found that I love doing animal work and that majoring in animal science was the right decision for me.

For some students, getting some volunteer experience may not be as difficult compared to my case. For instance, if you are thinking of a career in the medical health field, medical hospitals usually have well-established volunteer programs for both high school and adult students. You would usually find these programs in private hospitals who can hire additional staff to manage and train their volunteers. As a rule of thumb, finding volunteer work from bigger organizations is usually easier compared to getting it from a smaller one.

Note: Whether you choose to be a volunteer or intern, make sure you report your hours to your school. Most schools have a reporting process for volunteer hours that are done outside their institution. When you do this extra step, your hours will be recorded in your transcript. This record tells the admissions committee of the school you are applying to that your hours are official.