by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Jessica Van Why, a UNM accounting major, thought she botched her interview for an internship at Intel.
"I totally thought I blew the interview, because they asked me some tech-related questions," she said. "I don't really have any background in technology. I don't even know what I said."
However, Van Why was hired. She started work in February and is still working there.
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Her main project is to assess the internship program at Intel, compare it to other companies' programs and make recommendations for improvement.
"It's kind of interesting, because I'm an intern, so I'm new to all of it, too," she said. "But at the same time, I have to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the program."
The hardest part of her project was getting information on the internship programs at other companies, she said. There was often very little information about the programs on Web sites, so she had to call people at the companies to find out more, she said.
"It has taught me to be more ambitious," she said. "I used to just rely on e-mail a lot for communication, but sometimes you actually have to pick up the phone and talk to people until you find out what you need to know."
Van Why was only told the goals of her assignment - reaching those goals, setting deadlines and presenting her findings was up to her.
Giving presentations to management was one of the most challenging and most useful aspects of her internship, she said.
"You get that exposure, but that's also really a challenge. It's not so intimidating after you do a few," she said. "You start to take that wall of fear down in interacting in that way."
At first she was disappointed her project had little to do with accounting. However, she soon began to enjoy her work, she said.
"Every morning I have to tell myself, 'I'm a creative person. I can think outside the box,'" she said. "I had to step up to the challenge."
However, the internship has not been all fun, she said. During the spring semester, she worked at the internship 24 hours per week and took 12 credit hours at UNM. She also took care of her two children.
"Fortunately, I had a lot of help from my mother with that," she said.
It was often difficult to find a balance between work and school, she said.
"Sometimes I find myself having to toggle between being a worker and being a student. It was hard, because I really wanted to stay late and work on my project, but at the same time, I had a test the next morning," she said. "Once I had a headache for literally two weeks."
Van Why gets paid about $18 per hour.
Mary Monta§o, employer relations manager from UNM Career Services, said internships are an important part of the college experience.
"What gives students a real edge when it comes to finding full-time employment is the work experience they have while in school," she said.
Internships also serve as a way for employers to find potential employees, she said.
"Internships are employers' pipeline to the future," she said.
Van Why said going to class is not enough to compete in the job market after college.
"School gives you a foundation, and that's basically all it is," she said. "It gives you absolutely no experience that you can apply to whatever job you get."
