An article that was published in "Hoards Dairyman" magazine in the October 10, 1998 issue presents an excellent overview of the importance of having a dairy intership. Even though the programs discussed in this article are for a four year degree, the basic principles apply to our joint Dairy Certification Program. The following article is presented with permission from "Hoards Dairyman".

Make yourself marketable with a college internship

YOUNG DAIRYMEN Focus on Careers . . . by Shelly Lammers

You've probably heard it before: "You don't learn everything there is to know in school." Ask any potential employer, and they likely will tell you this is very true.

The first two articles in this series focused on choosing a college after considering all the facts, including tuition rates, number of scholarships available, average starting salary ranges, availability of a campus herd or animal science club, and many others.

When it comes to full preparing yourself for the working world, however, academics and activities are only part of the story. Here's one major consideration you should think about when planning your college career: obtaining work experience.

Prior work experience is often the difference between the new employee and the applicant still looking for a job. And, while all work experience will strengthen your resume, try to obtain internships or part-time jobs in careers that will prepare you for a job in your field of interest.

Of the 55 schools that responded to our survey, each one of them has some form of career services or internship programs. many schools organize on-campus interviews, resume workshops, and career fairs to facilitate job hunting. Also, it's usually possible to earn credits toward your degree by completing an internship and compiling progress reports about your work experiences.

Internships are priceless...

Underscoring the value educators and employers place on pre-career work experiences, many university faculty members have stressed in our survey that they work closely with students to find jobs and internships that closely fit them. A few schools even require that students complete an internship before graduating, including Brigham Young University and California State University-Chico. Chico State University is considering the requirement.

At California State-Chico, students are required to write weekly progress reports throughout the duration of the internship and compile a final report, as well as an assessment of the internship. Students who accept internships are hired for a variety of positions, including jobs in sales, nutrition consulting, communications, pest management, and pharmaceuticals, to name just a few.

At Brigham Young University, internships were made a requirement three years ago because faculty members felt students needed more practical experience before embarking on careers. "Here at BYU, we have a lot of urban students who have never been exposed to agriculture, and internships give them the practical experience that is necessary in a career," instructor Richard Kellums said. "Internships simply increase their qualifications and make students more marketable once they graduate."

Once it's clear that finding an internship is an important career-building step, your next question might be, "How do I go about finding one?" Fortunately, most schools offer an easy solution to this question. College career services departments are designed to serve as mediators between companies looking to hire and people looking to be hired. Check to see if your school offers up-to-date job listings, internet services, or other means of announcing job openings.

To learn about job openings, see your career services department, or talk to people you know in the industry. Many companies communicate frequently with the career services departments about open positions and commonly offer the same position each summer or semester, sometimes tiring several interns.

Aside front help you can get from a career services department, be aware of the countless venues that exist in a college setting for students to make contact with those in the industry. Many people with careers will insist that finding a job opportunity is often closely associated with your ability to network with people. This is how being active it your dairy or animal science club can be highly beneficial. Clubs that host consignment sales, organize food stands at fairs and shows conduct fitting and showing workshops, travel to judging contests, and tour dairy herds and organizations are clubs with the power to present their active students to the industry.

When considering an internship, don't limit yourself to geographical location people in established careers often express regrets about not travelling while they had the chance. An internship away, from home can be a valuable, eye-opening experience.

Also, keep yourself open to all internship opportunities. Even if you don't think spending a summer as a sales intern is up your alley, you just might learn, after three months of farm-to-farm sales calls that you really enjoy the work.

When considering where you might look for an internship, don't overlook a potential position with the herd on your own campus or with another dairy herd. Many dairy herd managers are willing to hire help for the summer and work with internship coordinators to award credits.

While virtually all of the 55 schools responding have dairy herds on which students are hired to work, six of those campus dairy herds are entirely student run. Participation in dairies like there can be a tremendous boost to the resume, especially when leadership positions are assumed.

Students at Cal Poly, Delaware Valley College, Texas A&M-College Station, University of New Hampshire, University of Vermont, and Washington State University are among those who have a chance to work on an entirely student-run campus herd.

Major buzz words ...

Two acronyms, CREAM and CUDS, were major buzz words in agricultural university lingo when they were first developed more than a decade ago, and even today. CREAM (Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management) was modeled after Washington State University's CUDS program (Cooperative of University Dairy Students), a group of students who own, operate, and manage a 30-cow dairy at the WSU Dairy Center. A CREAM program has been established in the Universities of New Hampshire and Vermont.

"The key to the CREAM program is that students are given the authority to make final decisions on everything," University of Vermont CREAM advisor Jim Gilmore said. "Aside from doing chores, they also manage and operate the dairy, including creating a chore schedule and doing the payroll."

The CUDS dairy operates with the same intentions, noted instructor Joe Hillers. "When you own and manage a herd, you make all the decisions. Working with the CUDS herd teaches students how to make decisions," he said.

Each of the CUDS and CREAM dairies is a 30-cow herd managed by no more than 15 students. Freshmen are not usually eligible for a position with these herds while older students must submit a written application and go through an interview process to be selected to work on the dairy.

Being able to juggle classwork while successfully operating a dairy herd in conjunction with fellow students is a very attractive feature to potential employers. "People like to hire people who have experience," adds Hillers.

And even on campuses where the dairy herd is not entirely student run, internship opportunities still exist. Check with the animal science department at your college to learn more about this and other job possibilities.

Remember: Completing an internship is about gaining hands-on experiences, working with others, and learning to prioritize, in addition to learning about yourself. It's also about giving It's also about giving yourself an edge when it's time to compete with other applicants for a job opening.

While many students take internships between their junior and senior years in college, it's worthwhile to have an internship sooner, just to confirm the type of career you'd like once you graduate. The short-term glimpses into professional life gained through internships can be the most effective learning tools -- tools that can launch you into a career.