Tag: University Internship Program

DePaul Diaries: Life as a Music Intern

By: Renee Radzom, DePaul University graduate, former University Internship Program (UIP) assistant

DePaul Diaries is a day-in-the-life blog series written by DePaul students. The series unveils DePaulians’ experiences as interns in their field of choice. Students share their honest thoughts about their experiences, what they learned as an intern and advice for students who are interested in the same field.

Eileen Peltier, an Economics major, decided to pursue her interest in the music industry and complete an internship at Music Dealers, LLC. Eileen found her internship by searching online for music-related opportunities.

At Music Dealers, Eileen’s main responsibility is to find unsigned artists whom she thinks would do well with a music license. She then connects with the artists to see if they would like to pursue a contract with Music Dealers.

“I love when I get to offer opportunities to a band that I’ve just found and am really passionate about. It’s also been great to meet like-minded people,” Eileen said.

Eileen gets a lot of freedom to pursue artists she likes and believes would do well with the added exposure the company could provide.

With all of this hands-on experience, Eileen said she’s learned quite a few new skills, while having the opportunity to meet and work with a large variety of people. She’s also witnessed how different aspects of a company need to work together to achieve goals. For instance, cooperation and being a team player are especially important in music licensing and the overall movie/music/advertising industry.

Of course, Eileen didn’t want to limit her experience and education to just her internship – she also took UIP 252: Creativity as a Change Agent in the Workplace. The class really brought together the concepts she was learning on-the-job, like collaboration and effective marketing. Also, since she took the class online, she really enjoyed the flexibility of simply logging in to work on assignments.

“The class really helped me articulate what I’m looking for in a creative career. I’m glad I had the opportunity to write about what I’m looking for in an organization; I think it will help me when searching for other opportunities after this internship,” Eileen said.

With all of these great experiences laid out for her, Eileen said she didn’t even think about the fact that she wasn’t paid for her internship. She said, “It allowed me to really see if I was passionate about what I was doing.”

As a final statement, Eileen shares this piece of advice for future interns: “Ask questions and remember that you can learn from anyone, not just the people in your department or your industry.”

Want to learn more about DePaul’s University Internship Program? Check it out, here, or send inquiries to UIP@depaul.edu.  Need help finding an internship?  Visit depaul.joinhandshake.com, or come into DePaul’s Career Center to meet with an advisor.

 

Finding Your Career Path: UIP 240

By: Renee Radzom, DePaul University graduate, former University Internship Program (UIP) assistant

UIP 240 is a 2-credit course offered by the University Internship Program (UIP) through DePaul. The class is structured to guide students on possible career options and help them explore their interests and major. The class is based on the individual and what he/she is looking to gain from the experience. Amal Saleh, former job fair & events manager at the Career Center, says the UIP 240 class really shaped her experience at DePaul.

Amal took the class as a freshman after a Career Advisor recommended the course to her. She mentioned that one of the benefits of taking the class was that it fit directly into her tuition package of 18 credit hours. Amal also said, “the class assisted me tremendously with identifying my major, career, and how to translate that at networking events.” The course evaluates your personality through assessments like the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and then helps you translate that into possible career choices and majors. The class is designed to give you the skills and knowledge needed to identify your academic and career path.

The class [UIP 240] assisted me tremendously with identifying my major, career…

Some of these skills may even follow you long after the class. Amal says that she still refers to the “skills card deck” that was presented to her in class in order to prioritize her interests and stay on her career path. She also enjoyed how the class always presented her with assignments that exposed new skills, such as public speaking and networking, which she did not know she possessed. Every day she was surprised by her own interests, and learned how to translate them to help her in her academic work.

Another thing that surprised Amal was that UIP 240 made her realize that her original major was not for her. Amal entered the class as a marketing major, but soon realized that “the major did not reflect [her] interests or passions.” Without this guidance, Amal would never have been given the knowledge to find the major that was right for her. Amal says, “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the assistance and guidance from this class and the professor.”

UIP 240 gives great advice to any student at DePaul who is not 100% sure of what they are interested in. Amal recommends this class to anyone who would like a bit of guidance and advice in translate their interests into a fulfilling major/career. There are so many different takeaways from the class that anyone who takes it is sure to find something they enjoy and will use later on.

Want to learn more about DePaul’s University Internship Program? Check it out, here, or send inquiries to UIP@depaul.edu. Need help finding an internship? Visit depaul.joinhandshake.com, or come into DePaul’s Career Center to meet with an advisor.

Experiencing the Life of a Professional…in One Day

By: Rachel Chessky, DePaul University marketing and economics major ’16

Thank you to all who have applied for the 2015-2016 Professional Exploration Program (PEP). It was a great success! Not familiar with PEP? PEP is a one-day learning opportunity that offers students the chance to experience firsthand the life of a professional. The University Internship Program and the Employer and Internship Development Team were very proud to see how DePaul students took advantage and made the most of this opportunity.

DePaul students, Cassandra Baron and Jessica Brana, took part in PEP this year and shadowed at two very different organizations. Cassandra was given the opportunity to shadow at the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute with the Population Management Team, while Jessica spent the day at the Office of Congressman Mike Quigley.

They both had an excellent experience and would recommend PEP to any DePaul student. Here is what they had to say about their one-day learning opportunity:

Sneak Peek: Shadowing Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute

Cassandra spent the day going to different nature preserves collecting hair samples, re-bating traps, collecting images taken from tree cameras and going to the lab to test the hair samples for a stress hormone as well as participated in an animal trading simulation. She was fully immersed in the Lincoln Park Zoo experience and was able to solidify that this is the career path for her.

When asked what she took away from the program, she responded, “the need and benefit of networking; I made so many great connections through this program, which will hopefully lead to an internship.” Cassandra went on to add how great PEP looks on a resume and how the experiences can help students get a feel for the career they hope to pursue.

Immersing yourself with professionals in your field of interest and witnessing firsthand their daily responsibilities will help you better understanding whether this career is truly right for you.

Sneak Peek: A Day with Congressman Mike Quigley

Jessica, on the other hand, spent her day learning about the different roles everyone plays in supporting the congressman. She also spent a lot of her time with Congressman Mike Quigley himself downtown and at different events throughout the community. While the day was busy from the very beginning, Jessica noted it was a great experience to see what a typical day looks like.

Similar to Cassandra, when asked what she took away, Jessica replied, “Networking is key!” Networking is an essential part in meeting professionals in your field who may one day offer you a job. As a result of her PEP experience, Congressman Mike Quigley offered Jessica an internship during winter and spring quarter!

If you want to spend a day shadowing someone in your field of interest, gaining new experiences, and building your network, don’t miss out on PEP! If you would like more information about PEP or scoring an internship, please reach out to us at UIP@depaul.edu.

Get Real With: @properties

By: Rachel Chessky, DePaul University marketing and economics major ’16

Looking for the right internship can seem like an intimidating task. Sometimes it helps to take a step back and remember where we are; Chicago is filled with numerous companies and organizations looking to hire interns and you never know which one will be the right fit for you. At the University Internship Program (UIP) at DePaul, we strive to help connect students with an internship that best fits their needs and we love to hear when an employer is just as thrilled with the match.

Chicago is filled with numerous companies and organizations looking to hire interns…

@properties, one of the top 25 residential brokers in the U.S. and the #1 real estate brokerage in Chicago by market share, recently reached out to us to share their excellent experience with a DePaul intern.

Real Estate Broker & Loan Officer Robert Adolfson, who focuses on the Lincoln Park community, shared that the internship program provided “training and mentorship customized to each individual’s ambitions along with their skill sets – all within the profession.” He went on to say that the internship was “highly interactive and practical.” Due to this customization, interns were able to grow and cultivate new skills that are directly applicable to their chosen career path.

Thinking of DePaul interns, he noted:

“They are savvy; polished and very open to mentoring. More importantly, there is an excitement that comes out with their initiative and desire to want to learn about the professional working world.”

DePaul interns have come to stand out in the professional world due to this eagerness to learn more mentality instilled in the classroom.

DePaul students are excited to develop their abilities and passionate about their work, leading professionals across a wide array of industries to think very highly of DePaul. Having this outlook makes an intern more appealing to employers as they know their efforts to train you are being appreciated. Adolfson even went on to say that he “enjoys bringing a real-world practicum to the learned classroom skills.”

Having an internship where you are able to grow and your employer is invested in your growth is the essence of a great internship. Settling for an internship that is simply another checkmark for the resume does not inspire passion. UIP encourages students to search for those opportunities they will be able to learn from.

Inspired and interested in finding a job or internship in the real estate industry? Check out Handshake for new career listings!

If you are looking for that perfect internship and want to know how to receive credit for it, visit our internship advisor, Alisha Pharr, to learn more.