Internships - Worthwhile Adventures
IN CHEMISTRY OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1994
(Reproduced with permission.)
Internships should be win-win situations: a win for the student doing the
internship and a win for the company that sponsors him or her. The company
benefits from being able to enhance its existing services to its customers
and support its employees and their programs. Internships are not meant
to be used as replacements for existing staff. They give a company the ability
to expand their staff, albeit on a temporary basis.
Although every internship has unique characteristics, each one is an experience
in which an individual has the opportunity to learn by doing. An internship
can teach you about your likes and dislikes, your strengths and weaknesses,
and your abilities and skills. It simultaneously expands your horizons
and gives you the chance to explore new opportunities. An internship can
ultimately help you clarify your future, set your goals and expectations,
and build important and unique on-the-job skills to enhance your marketability.
A good internship will complement your course work and give you insights
into the business world; it also will help you focus your studies when you
return to your academic environment.
As you begin searching for an internship, consider carefully what you are
looking for and what you hope to achieve. These guidelines should offer
a clear but flexible set of work and learning objectives that can help you
prepare for your future career. An internship is a personal experience and
will not be the same for everyone.
Some will like their internships, some will not. But each work experience
opportunity will allow you to look more closely at yourself and bring you
closer to a future that will be personally rewarding and satisfying.
Simone Davis, a 1994 B.S. chem istry graduate of Howard University (Washington,
DC), served in the summer of 1994 as an intern in the ACS Office of College
Chemistry. Here she tells of her internship experiences and what they meant
to her as she pursued her undergraduate degree.
Simone Davis
After completing my first year of undergraduate work at Howard University,
I was invited to participate in a summer internship with Hoechst Roussel
Pharmaceuticals in Somerville, NJ. While working there, I gained valuable
experience that not only helped me through my courses at school during the
upcoming years, but also assisted me in dealing with people in a professional
setting.
As an intern, I participated in biweekly research team meetings, which gave
me insight into how scientific presentations and papers were prepared. As
a result, I was able to prepare my own research presentations about the
work that I had done.
Working as a research assistant also allowed me to receive hands-on experience
in synthesizing compounds that were to be used in the treatment of conditions
such as Alzheimer's disease. This is an experience I definitely would not
have received in a regular college laboratory.
In addition to my work in industry, I served as a research assistant under
two faculty members at Howard University. My research at Howard allowed
me to work in the chemistry department and the school of pharmacy on various
research projects. One of these projects involved assisting in the synthesis
of a compound developed to eliminate epileptic seizures. These varied experiences
have given me a solid basis of comparison for research in academia and research
in industry.
After doing research for three summers and thankfully receiving my degree
in chemistry (it isn't always easy!), I wanted to learn more about job opportunities
available to B.S. chemistry degree holders. In the summer of 1994, I participated
in an internship at ACS headquarters in Washington, DC. This position exposed
me to many nontraditional career areas that are available to chemists.
As an intern at the ACS, I actively participated in the planning of the
208th ACS National Meeting in Washington, DC. Not only did I gather information
and brochures for a welcome package for undergraduate students attending
the meeting, but I was also involved in organizing the Student Kick-Off
Social. Organizing this event taught me the value of good communication
skills, leadership skills, and creativity, which are characteristics that
will help me to succeed in the future.
In addition to preparing for the national meeting, I worked on developing
a career brief on medicinal chemistry. Before writing the brief, I gathered
information from interviews with medicinal chemists. These chemists ranged
from people working for the government, to people working for private pharmaceutical
companies, to those working in academia. Writing the career brief improved
my writing skills. I also learned to gather information through interactions
with a variety of people.
Overall, my internships have given me a broader base from which I can make
intelligent decisions about the direction in which I want my career to proceed.
Although I enjoyed both working in a medicinal chemistry lab and working
in an office setting, I found the work that I did in the lab more appealing
because I was involved in research that seemed to have a direct effect on
the improvement of health in humans. However, my work in medicinal chemistry
also increased my interests in the health care profes sions, a result that
has inspired me to go to medical school.
This does not mean that some of my internship experiences were wasted; in
fact, it is quite the contrary. My internships not only gave me a sense
of direction for planning my future, but they also equipped me with
more networking skills and opportunities, a greater confidence in making
independent and wise decisions, and a large library of experience and knowledge
from which I can draw upon in the future. Because of these benefits and
others, I recommend that all undergraduate students participate in some
type of internship, regardless of whether you have decided on a future career,
because internships expose you to a number of career opportunities that
you might never have considered.--