Applying for Internships

Drethyl

Hey guys i'm about 6 months away from finishing my second IT degree. My first degree is an associates in Network Engineering and my second which will be a bachelors in Cyber Security. I am currently studying for my Security +. I was taking a look at my resume and besides the other two associates degrees I already have I have no real work experience in the IT field minus working electronics in retail for 10 years. My school sets up internships however you need a 3.0 to get into them and my gpa currently sits at a 2.87. So I was wondering what would be my best option should I apply around to businesses that might have a full time position available but see if they can take me as an intern? I've seen quite a few desktop specialist as well as it analyst jobs posted in Rhode island lately. I just really need to build my resume and my lack of certificates i'm sure isn't helping. Any advice about what my next possible move could be would be greatly appreciated.

DonDeal

I looked into being an intern, but I was going too fast in my degree to remain qualified as an intern if I actually did become one. I applied for many spots and received return calls before I changed my mind. Build your professional resume like you're in the hunt for an actual job.

There are paid internships and unpaid internships. Try to focus on only paid internships since you're going to be "working". I've seen summer only interns and year-round interns that are paid. I focused on the year-round internships and many of the employers will allow you to work part or fulltime (it's up to you and your class schedule).

Search google, indeed, and usajobs.gov. The feds are great because they have the Pathways Internship program (https://www.usajobs.gov/StudentsAndGrads) that basically allows you to come back and work for the organization after you graduate.

Drethyl

Don,

Thanks for the reply. My thinking was similar to yours I was just going to start applying for jobs the degrees I already have should be more than sufficient enough in my opinion. Even though my time is limited as I already have a job and am attending classes in the morning I have been applying to places looking for 18-24 hours a week in between class and my other job. Stating in my resume for that im looking for an internship/part time should be okay right?

Vask3n

When I was in college I found the career resources on campus to be really helpful, like either the career center or the career search site, if there is one. Those tended to have more internships than sites like Dice or Monster, but I am fairly confident you can find internships even on those big-name sites.

The advice from Don about seeking a paid internship is something I would also recommend. Especially in IT related work, you really want to be compensated if possible.

Drethyl

Thanks Vask, yes I would really like compensation. Anything at all I can put on my resume i'm all for at this point. I'm going to go to my career services tomorrow and have them check over my resume and critique it. There are quite a few full time positions open in the it field right now in my state, I think I will still apply even though it says full time and try for an internship and see what they say. I really need the work experience and i'm dying to learn more outside of what I learn in classes.

Raisin

If you're only six months away from graduating, you should really just look for full time work that's flexible enough to allow you to finish school. I just don't think an internship is doable within that time frame along with your GPA being being below 3.0.