From Internship to the Workplace

By Crystal Leung (BACS 2004)

The question of whether a post secondary school education is applicable to the "real world" is always on the minds of students. Western's Faculty of Science provides the opportunity to answer this question through the Science Internship Program: a win-win situation for everyone. Students in third year can work in an 8 -16 month degree-related practicum prior to the completion of their fourth year studies. The extended length of the placement allows students to contribute more and take on additional responsibilities. The employer receives a well-qualified student and is able to gain a greater cost-benefit due to the intern's enhanced training. But do interns and alumni feel that they have gained from the Science Internship Program?

Meet Karen Yang and Dale Hoshooley. Karen is entering her fourth year this September at Western where she is majoring in Computer Science with a Software Engineering specialization. Currently, Karen is completing a 16-month internship with London Life Insurance Company as a Software Developer. Similarly, Dale completed his internship as a Software Developer with London Life back in 2000 and subsequently, in 2001, earned his BSc from Western in Computer Science with a Software Engineering specialization. Upon graduation, he went back to London Life and immediately secured a full-time position. It's obvious that Karen and Dale share similar academic backgrounds and experiences at London Life, yet they chose to pursue different career choices that challenge their particular skills.

Both Karen and Dale agree that the experience at London Life has been most beneficial. Through their placements they learned valuable knowledge about the insurance industry, as well as an understanding of the role of their academic backgrounds. As Karen explains, "The concepts learned at school are the fundamentals of programming and the theories are essential to how and why these concepts work." Dale also shares these sentiments. His internship experience not only allowed him to build on the strong foundation he obtained through concepts taught in-class, he also gained additional skills that can only be acquired on-the-job. "One of the most important experiences that I took away from my internship," Dale says," was to be able to work in a team setting and handle the challenges associated in dealing with people's different perspectives in order to get the job done successfully." For Karen, the opportunity to work on six different projects has taught her about the different aspects of team dynamics and exposure to the different roles within each project.

Ultimately, what has been most important about their placements has been the opportunity to investigate potential career choices - and this has helped clear up some uncertainties. Karen's experience has allowed her to explore a part of the Computer Science field of most interest to her - Project Management. "My experience ... has allowed me to observe what project managers are responsible for and to develop the necessary technical skills needed to fulfill this role."  Karen has been able to network with various people within this field and make valuable contacts - all of whom advised her on how to prepare for her chosen career. "I intend on taking either Project Management courses or completing an MBA after I graduate. It isn't directly related to my current field of study, but it is IT-related. I intend on combining my technical computer experience with business skills, which will allow me to lead software projects in the future."

Dale says the internship experience also "exposed me to a variety of careers in the IT industry. It provided me with the opportunity to explore different areas including software development & infrastructure implementation, as well as support." Having the opportunity to get an internship placement has been extremely beneficial, as he may not be where he is today without it. "Not getting an internship position would have drastically changed what I would be doing today," Dale muses. "Perhaps I would have jumped at the first job offer. If the job was something that I didn't enjoy, with limited knowledge of what my options were, I might have questioned my entire career choice." An Internship placement gave Dale the chance to get his "foot in the door" and has led to full-time employment. "The opportunity to participate in the Internship Program is something that I have found to be very rewarding from both a career and a personal point of view," Dale says. "Not only did it afford me the opportunity to get a job immediately after graduation, it also gave me the assurance that this was a fulfilling career path which I wanted to pursue."

As for their perspectives on school, the break from the classroom shed a new light on their approach to academics. When Dale returned to his fourth year in September 2000, he recalls that, "It really did give me a different perspective. I expected more from myself in regards to the amount of effort and the quality of work that I produced."  Karen feels the same way, "My job has taught me that I am accountable for my actions ... with this understanding, I take my school assignments more seriously and look at testing from a different perspective." The internship placement has not only given her an outlook on what it takes to succeed on-the-job, but has also provided a new sense of reality as to how important her education really is.  "I'm definitely more serious about school because I can see how my studies are applicable at work."  Karen explains, "Working really makes you appreciate the freedom of student life - but more importantly, the importance of education. Oddly enough, working makes you miss school."

Also visit: Campaign Western - Foundation Western

Please send your questions or comments on "Science Flashpoint" to: iwona@uwo.ca

Please forward this copy of "Science Flashpoint" to another UWO grad you know and tell them that in order to receive their own copy of "Science Flashpoint" they must register with Western's @lumni Community. We're also online at The Science Flashpoint