Central students have great internships! Each year many students intern to gain practical experience and apply what they learned in classes. Our interns have worked at over 500 companies and organizations, and we want to share some of their stories. Every month we profile an student in a new and exciting position, so don’t forget to check back!
Emily worked as an assistant to a U.S. Probation Officer (USPO) at the U.S. District Court - Southern District of Iowa office in Des Moines, in Probation/Pretrial Services. She found this internship by networking through her father, a Des Moines police officer, and his colleagues.
Emily’s internship gave her the ultimate experience of what it might be like to work as a probation officer. She was not limited to one specific duty. Instead she had the opportunity to get involved with many different aspects of a probation officer’s responsibilities, including: pretrial, sentencing and supervision duties. Through these experiences, she learned that probation officers are multi-skilled employees who play important roles in the criminal justice system.
Emily was able to attend various court proceedings including: initial appearances, detention hearings, revocation and presentence hearings. She was also able to conduct criminal collateral research on federal defendants and prepare reports used for various agencies. She also had the opportunity to observe a pretrial bail interview being conducted in the United States Marshal’s lockup.
Emily’s internship proved to be very influential on her future by helping her explore other career options and not limit herself. She has always had a strong interest in criminal justice and psychology and this experience gave her the opportunity to examine the pros and cons of both fields. Emily said “I never really knew what a USPO did until I took this internship. I have actually considered a variety of career options since finishing. These options include a certified drug and alcohol counselor, art therapist and becoming an assistant USPO. I am now much more confident and willing to take risks with my career choices due to my internship experience.”
Emily recommends all students having not one, but a variety of internships as this will help you to figure out what you really want to do as well as give you valuable experience that employers will value. She believes “Learning in a school is just a small portion of what is really out there. Learning through an internship gives a real sense of what the expectations are in the working world. It's a great opportunity and test to see one's strengths and weaknesses and decide what needs more improvement.”
The most important advice she would give to students is, “Go our and get some internship experience before committing to anything!”
Interested in an internship? All the internship info you need starts here. http://www.central.edu/career/internships/
