With the school year coming to an end and summer just around the corner, high schoolers need to ask themselves what they plan to pursue after high school. Internships are an effective way to get involved in the community and help sort wandering ideas for potential college studies and future careers. Internships give students hands-on experience with professional technicians in nearly every career, allowing students to explore their curiosities and get to know their field of study before investing time and money into college courses.

The best way to get started in applying for internships and job opportunities is by visiting a site called internships.com. This website allows you to specify what job or career you are looking into, what area of the state you are in, and finds the best fits for your personal summer schedule. They even offer an internship predictor which evaluates your personal preferences and finds out how they can find the right internship for you.

Personally, I am interested in pursuing psychiatric nursing in college. As an internship, I applied for Midwestern University’s free 7-day internship/camp program for juniors and seniors interested in studying healthcare careers. For the program, I had to complete four essays discussing my passions and experiences as well as submit a recommendation letter from a science teacher. In this program, they are offering labs and workshops for students to work behind the scenes exploring a variety of professions.

There are also many business internships designed for students looking into graphic design, fashion design, marketing, social media, and publishing majors. For instance, the Scottsdale Unified School District is currently offering internships for communications. Internees will be assisting in schedules as well as the photo/video editing processes as needed for the purposes of promotion, celebration, and documentation. They will also be serving as primary photographers and videographers for District Communications Department.

Internships are not only an efficient way to spend summertime, but also help build a resume of sophisticated experience alongside trained professionals going into a college course. There are an abundance of opportunities and types of internships in almost any career and with just a little time and effort, you can be filling up your summer schedule with fun ways to learn about future careers.