Internships are essential to students in securing a career. They provide students with the ability to apply their education and get some experience in the career field of their choice. Through Augustana’s CORE center, the Handshake website and weekly emails, students are informed of on-campus and nearby internship and career-expanding opportunities. However, this raises the question, are students informed enough?

Career guidance and education play a key role in facilitating student decisions both during and after college. Students need to be able to view the job market critically, a skill that helps us in refining internships and work experience — allowing for students to make well-informed choices. Yet, the fact remains that despite the influence that these factors have, it is limited by how much a student is informed about these opportunities on and nearby campus. 

Augustana has a diverse range of career-oriented resources and information that are communicated to students primarily through email. Among these is the CORE office, which is a great resource for students to speak with career coaches and access information about career experiences such as internships.

There, I was able to speak with a few students regarding their employment at CORE and how their knowledge of the opportunities that Augustana offers has changed. 

Sampada Regmi, first-year data analytics major, speaks about how her employment at the CORE Career Center has given her a unique perspective on the resources available to students. 

“A lot of discussions happen here about the kind of opportunities for students and how to make these resources available to students,” Regmi said. “[Handshake] provides me with first-hand experience with jobs and opportunities and I am able to ask everyone around me about jobs.” 

Resources like Handshake, a network connecting college and university students with career opportunities, are particularly useful for students in that they provide the ability for you to interact directly with employers while providing the necessary support for students as they enter into the workforce. This is critical for student engagement and the construction of their careers, as it not only provides the necessary experience but an opportunity to connect with those in a field of interest. 

With this in mind, information concerning Handshake, CORE resources and local events like Quad City career fairs is widely distributed by Augustana to students through campus email. 

However, given the availability of this resource, it is the decision of the student to click on and open the email.

Olivia Keeling, a sophomore majoring in English and Communication Science and Disorders, said, “working at CORE shows you how many opportunities you have […] Augie can only do so much. Students have to take advantage [of these opportunities].” 

Here, a key component to student success and the extent of the information that they receive that is critical to that success is the student’s interaction with the content. 

Regarding the content itself, based on the extent of the resources that Augie offers and the accessibility through email, it is true that Augustana offers students the necessary information concerning career education and developments. 

This enables it to offer many opportunities for students to transition onto a successful career path, opportunities that students can take advantage of in preparation for their futures.