Internships provide the best opportunities to the college student. Although some students may not agree, some say that it is the best part of their college experience. In addition, construction companies also are benefited by students working internships, as well.
To be clear, every internship may not involve the tasks that you would like to start out doing. Everyone basically needs to start at the bottom and work their way up to truly appreciate the process and responsibilities that each job entails. If possible, communicate with your potential employer and express your goals with them and perhaps you can be familiar with your job tasks before agreeing upon an internship with them. As with all things in life, communication is a key component in success.
Generally, the focus of an internship is to expose a student to as many different aspects of the construction process as possible. With only a few months of time in a typical internship, you will appreciate the variety of tasks you will be exposed to. In addition, with an internship experience, the student may decide which area of specialization they may want to consider.
Hopefully, you will be assigned some responsibility. Most students hone their skills to the best of their ability when they have a specific responsibility to their employer. Ideally, you will be given a task that will teach you a skill, as well as, create a sense of obligation and accountability. Your online Bachelor of Construction Management degree program will prepare you for any assignments your employer gives you.
In most instances, you will be paired with a mentor. A mentor is someone who takes an interest in your success and agrees to share their knowledge with you. They will need to be a partner that you can feel extremely comfortable asking questions to, and a lot of them. As we all learn by doing, your hand-on experience will provide many opportunities to ask questions and learn as you go. Typically, your mentor will not be “the boss” but will be a fellow employee with several years of experience in the field of construction and is genuinely interested in shaping the minds of those just starting out.
Many times, we have a preconceived idea of what it may be like to be involved in a particular career, but, after we get into it, spent our hard-earned money for an education, and spent valuable time learning skills, we find out the nature of the work or the company feel is not to our liking. By working an internship, sometimes unfortunately, a student may decide that construction is not for them after all. Or, on the other hand, it may confirm that it is what they were born to do.
Often, your internship opportunity will be provided by your online school. They typically work with a network of construction companies who welcome the privilege of mentoring students, however, if you are responsible for locating your own internship, please check with your Counselor before accepting a position. You will want to get prior approval, so you can obtain the proper credit for your hard-earned work.
If given the opportunity to complete an internship, please take advantage of it… you will not regret it! The experience you will gain and the references you will secure are absolutely worth it. Furthermore, if you have enjoyed your experience with the company you have worked for, they may hire you upon graduation.
Are you are interested in this field of work? If so, please see our list of the Best Online Bachelor of Construction Management Degree Programs.