“What do you want to do when you graduate?”
I’ve always hated that question. After deciding that being pre-med wasn’t for me (thank you Gen Chem), I didn’t have an answer to give. The worst part was – I didn’t even know where to start.
I knew nothing about careers that didn’t involve white coats. I knew nothing about working. The only thing I knew about jobs was that I wanted/needed one someday. So, with basically no expectations, I applied for an externship, and it was one of the best decisions I have made since coming to Rice.
My Externship Experience
My externship was spring break of my sophomore year, and I visited a company in downtown Houston (externships are all over the country) for one day.
What my day looked like:
- Breakfast at the office with the company’s recruiting team
- A visit to an active client site
- Lunch with a team of people who worked there
- A cross-functional panel with employees who had a variety of roles/positions
- Coffee break
- A round table discussion with employees about the recruitment process
We can all research industries and careers, but it’s hard to understand what life would be like every day in a certain job without some kind of experience of it. Even though my externship was only six hours long, it gave me a glimpse of what this industry was all about. I met so many people who took the time to sit with me, answer my questions, and share what they did and how they got where they were. I even met a Partner who I continue to interact with to this day.
At the end of it all, I left well fed and holding a bag of free stuff. More importantly, I left with a deeper understanding of how to approach recruiting and a firsthand experience of the industry’s culture itself.
Should you do it?
YES. Apply for an externship! Do it to learn more about what you want to do. Do it to find out what you don’t want to do. Do it because you’ll meet interesting, successful people who have been where you are and who want to share their experiences with you. Or… just do it because it will be fun (hopefully) and there will be free food (probably).
Jessica Yi is a Peer Career Advisor from Martel College. She is a junior majoring in cognitive science and minoring in business.
