As college students, we all know that life in "the real world" is closer than any of us are willing to admit. What are your plans after graduation? Have you even yet begun to think of what your professional life will entail beyond the degree(s) you are seeking as an undergraduate student? Whether you are on a straight and narrow path to the profession you've set your heart on or you are an undecided senior who chronically changes his/her major, there is a resource available to help validate your major and career selections and make your transition into the real world less dramatic: an internship, and one great program can be found right here in Knox County.
The Knox County Summer Internship is a 13-week program that offers students an excellent opportunity to strengthen resumes, develop career skills, network with professionals in a field of personal interest, participate in an experience-based learning situation, and explore career options. Furthermore, this program creates an atmosphere for learning in which a student can build confidence and develop critical professional contacts, while increasing the opportunity to obtain a full-time job.
The Knox County Summer Internship Program prepares students of all ages for an exciting future in the professional world by offering them opportunities to explore the many diverse career options potentially available to them; it allows students of all ages to test-drive a career before actually having to decide what professional path to take. When participating in this, or any other internship program, it is important to remember that valuable work experience is an asset in every professional endeavor, because there is no better teacher than experience.
Though this program is run through Knox County government, the internship opportunities are far reaching within the community. Remembering that the goal of the Knox County Summer Internship Program is to provide experience-seeking individuals a unique opportunity to learn more about the daily operations of all areas of Knox County government, Betty Penson, Human Resources Coordinator who oversees the program, works hard to position interns in areas that relate closely to their personal interests or educational fields of study. "Diverse programs run the gamut here in Knox County, our departments differ so much one to another, some jobs are in office settings while others are outdoor jobs of a more physical nature," said Frances Fogerson, Director of Knox County's Human Resources Department, "making it easy to find something for everyone."
Thirty-eight students from colleges throughout the country participated in the program this past summer.
