Summer is here! The holidays are finally upon us! And it’s
time to…work? Yes, that’s right. When it comes to vacation time, today’s
generation of college-goers spend far more time in the working environment than
they do idly. Most of them prefer to gain that critical extra bit of work
experience that will hold them in good stead for their careers that are only
just beginning.
Radioactive is an agency that highlights the value of Goan
brands to an international market. Founding partner of the firm, Richard Dias
encourages the internship concept, sharing his views on how the process has
evolved in Goa over time. “I grew up in Bombay, where children were encouraged
to take up part-time jobs. However, at that juncture, Goa as a state was more
‘trader’ oriented. The big corporate boom came later and as a result, students
had a platform to work and gain a little bit of experience on the job.
Furthermore, courses have now been devised (such as the increasingly popular
Bachelor of Business Administration or BBA), wherein students are required to
undertake internships as a part of the curriculum. This too aids in the
developmental process,” he says.
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With media courses being the new ‘in-thing’ and the ‘cool
profession’, an increasing number of courses are also being devised to flood
the media market with the journalistic and PR professionals of gen-next. These
too have a need to find their feet in the line of work, reaching out to local
agencies for a place to hone their talent through the course of the academic
year.
PR Professional,Skitter Faia sees plenty of these come
through the doors of her office. She supports Richard’s views through her
observations on the matter, saying “Over the past few years we have seen a
greater interest in internships than ever before. Students see value in
internships in terms of experience. Faculty members are also encouraging
students to take up internships and have even built it into the curriculum. An
internship offers a peek into the industry one is setting out to build a career
in. No amount of classroom teaching can match the learning and experience one
derives from an internship.”
For most aspiring professionals, this period serves as a
time when their interests can be best served by putting the 9-5 (and sometimes
beyond) during their holidays. Ralph Rodrigues comes from a line of media
people. The third-year student at St Xavier’s College, Mapusa says “Internships
are all about preparation in an industry of choice. I have worked at a PR desk
as well as a Features desk. This experience helps us gain the level of insight
we require, which in turn helps us to mould our career choices. According to
our experiences we can knock off lesser appealing experiences as viable options
for the future.”
Whatever be the ‘course’ of action, an internship may well
be worth the time invested in it. If it’s not something that piques the
interest, it could well turn out to be time to look at all the options
available work-wise.
