In?tern (NOUN): A student or a recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training.

It is that time of year again: the time to take the dive into the “real world,” and the thought on most of the seniors’ minds is: “What am I going to do when I graduate?”

It can be a question that plagues the mind of a student about to leave the comfort of college and advance into the workforce but it is a process that need not be so daunting.

Colleges offer students the means to answer this specific question: internships. Internships allow students to enter into the work place while still in the confines of college, test the waters and come to a decision long before they graduate. A popular internship option for Saint Louis University students has been internships at St. Louis magazines. Alive, Riverfront Times and Sauce are some of the magazines where students can work and make decisions concerning their career goals. They are invaluable tools to students in the middle of their college careers.

How can I get an internship at a magazine?

There are many resources available to SLU students who would like to intern at a magazine in St. Louis. The first stop is William Tyler in the communication department. Tyler has managed the communication internship program for the last 14 years, and other departments model their programs after his. He says that internships mean more than simply receiving credit for a part-time job. He values internships as a bridge between the academic and professional worlds. Tyler aids students in choosing the right internship and helps them through the process. Tyler is essential to any student attempting to secure an internship for credit in the communication department.
Not only is Tyler the only one who can approve of an internship to be taken for credit, but he also decides what companies make his internship list.

Tyler says that it is important how companies perceive their interns. It is important that they are not reduced to just a form of cheap labor.

If a company does not meet the requirements of helping students achieve their academic and career goals, they are removed from his list.

Tyler acts as an adviser to students who have internships and keeps track of their progress. At the end of each internship period, he asks students to write about their experiences, which he uses to help other students choose the right internship program. Tyler can be contacted in Xavier 312 or [email protected].

There are also a number of online resources for students trying to find an internship at a magazine. Two good ones are www.internshipprograms.com and SLU’s Career SLeUth, which can be accessed by going to the Career Services Web site. Magazines’ Web sites are also great resources, as they usually list their contacts and requirements for their internship programs.

Who interns at magazines?

You have to be a junior or senior at SLU to intern at a magazine. Most people believe that magazine interns only write, but this is not the case. At Alive magazine, there are different departments that interns can work in. There are editorial interns, marketing interns, fashion interns and photography interns, just to name a few.

Jenna Steege, a junior at SLU, is an editorial intern in the entertainment, dining and nightlife department at Alive magazine. She works 10 hours a week, and six to eight hours are spent in the office while two hours are spent writing.

“It is a great internship and is personal growth-orientated,” said Steege.

“I do a lot of fact checking and phone interviews, and I also write for the events calendar.”

Interns who work at Alive get bylines in every issue.

“Alive values their interns. It helps to build your portfolio. You don’t usually get that with an internship,” said Steege. “It is an exciting job.”

What happens after the internship?

There is always a possibility of an entry-level job being offered to a student.

An internship helps students discover or confirm a career path, and hard work is usually rewarded. Most businesses promote from within, starting with an intern position. Showing dedication in your work could always land you that dream job.Internships are an important part of a student’s university career and should be seriously considered by all students. They help determine if you are headed down the right career path and they cushion the fall from the comfort of college to the reality of the work place.