The world’s your oyster cracker.
A new take on an old phrase rings true for many preparing for the “real world” outside of Taylor University. Perhaps there’s no hidden pearl or perfect job in a student’s respective major, but the internships available through Taylor’s practicum programs still present a world of opportunity for students.
“Connections are probably the most important resource that we leverage to help students with internships,” Jeff Aupperle, the associate dean of the Calling and Career Office (CCO), said.
Whether it’s working with alumni or working with students to find internships close to home, the CCO has developed a structure meant to streamline students’ professional needs.
Of the roughly 900 individual appointments the office schedules each year, the CCO has listed 15 different meeting types, each designed to prepare students for a particular part of the internship or job search process.
“(I) just see too many students settle for the easy option,” Aupperle said. “I think probably what (the) best thing that we can do is, we bring as many of those really wonderful companies who want to hire students to campus and have our students get a chance to meet them (and) interact with them.”
The goal is to raise students' visions of their futures, Aupperle said. But at the same time, he emphasized the importance of keeping an open mind.
It’s a point CCO intern Sarah Maloney also drew. As a junior working as the Calling and Career Office’s social media manager, Maloney has found her horizons widened by the opportunities she’s chased throughout her college career.
“Any experience is good experience,” Maloney said. “I don't think you should spend so much time searching for the perfect internship. It's honestly rare that you get a perfect job fresh out of college … (so) it's good to make connections and it's good to know what things you like and what things you struggle with a little bit more.”
It’s advice that rings true to Maloney’s personal life as well.
As a communications major, Maloney described struggling with the process of narrowing her career goals. Yet as she’s started work in the CCO this year, she’s discovered more about the types of work she enjoys.
“I think going through the training of like looking at different jobs, looking at different internships and understanding that there's not a wrong choice and — just seeing how many options there are out there and how many connections you can build has been really valuable for me just even personally to understand that it's okay that I don't know exactly what I want to do,” Maloney said.
For students with a more concrete idea for their career, however, there are still a variety of options when it comes to the internship process. Working with the CCO to set up a Handshake networking account like Maloney, or simply being persistent at home can provide a wealth of opportunities.
It’s what landed senior politics and public service major Lucas Harvey his internships with The Arc of Indiana and with presidential candidate Mike Pence.
“I had a connection with my state representatives and I reached out to him,” Harvey said. “I asked him, ‘Hey, I need to fulfill this practicum. What sort of organizations do you work with that would suffice this credit?’ and then took it from there.”
Harvey encourages other students to do the same.
And while it does take a boldness to reach out to the resources at students’ disposal, Aupperle, Harvey and Maloney all agreed: the potential reward far outweighs the risk.
“You definitely have to just do it,” Harvey said. “What are they gonna say, ‘no?’”
Because maybe the world isn’t as pearly-white as it seemed in childhood. But in a world of oyster crackers, anything is still possible, if students would only be willing to take the plunge.
