ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, August 12, 1996 TAG: 9608120085
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL CROAN STAFF WRITER
SUMMER INTERNS FACE fewer obstacles than do many of their contemporaries. Not only are they qualified on paper, they also bypass the dilemma of needing experience to get experience.
Stark Jones is doing what he always wanted to do.
Although the 26-year-old Roanoke native is still working on his master's degree in public administration, he is an active participant in city government.
When he's not out pounding the streets, Jones can be found in his 8-by-8-foot office in the Roanoke city manager's suite. He doesn't have a window or any wall decorations. He works for free sometimes, putting in 50 to 60 hours a week with no possibility of overtime pay.
Jones is an intern working for college credit, a small stipend and, most importantly, the experience.
A growing number of college students and businesses are turning to internships to solve a dilemma many graduates face: being qualified for the job on paper, but having no work experience in their field.
Internships benefit businesses by providing cheap labor, fresh perspectives and a way to screen potential employees.
``Internships give the business a chance to try someone out before they make a long-term commitment to them as an employee,'' said Toni McLawhorn, director of career services at Roanoke College. ``It's a good way to get an extra pair of hands at little to no cost to them.''
And what does an internship offer a student?
``It's an actual hands-on type of learning instead of just getting theory,'' said Lisa Ison, president of the Small Business Incubator, which opened last month in Roanoke.
Evelyn Bradshaw, director of the Hollins College Career Development Center, said internships are almost a must for any college student.
``It's a win/win situation,'' she said. ``It prepares them for the real world. It allows them to use the theory they are learning in the classroom and put it into practice, and helps them develop a network of contacts. Without a doubt, internships are going to make a student more marketable.''
``Many times the internship will lead to a full-time job offer at graduation,'' McLawhorn said. ``Employers really prefer to hire a student who has experience in their field through an internship or something similar than a student without any experience. I think it's a very important experience in today's economy.''
Students often leave internships with a newfound zeal for their work, eager to learn more and - especially - do more.
``Sometimes I'm amazed,'' said 23-year-old law student Ellyn Farley of Roanoke, an intern in Roanoke's federal courthouse this summer. ``I feel like a sponge; there are so many things that I feel like I'm absorbing. This is very exciting to me, so the thought of going back to the classroom/library scene is a little discouraging.''
Jones said working in the city manager's office "gave me a chance to apply what I learned in my master's program. When I studied it in college, I couldn't relate to it in a practical sense, but the internship brought it out. You can sit there and type all night and quote straight from the book, but you still don't get a feel for what's going on. Now I can relate to what the book is saying.''
Few internships are paid, but students who take such internships usually are more interested in the experience than the money. Even the college credit that accompanies some internships is not always the main incentive.
The money ``bothers me a lot less than I suppose it should, because I feel like I'm gaining something that will be applicable to what I want to do,'' Farley said. ``I wouldn't sacrifice the experience I'm getting for making money. Maybe they may not be able to pay me, but they definitely educate me.''
After her required hours for college credit were completed, Kara Hedges, a Roanoke College senior from Westminster, Md., sacrificed the rest of her summer to continue working for Ison at the Small Business Incubator - without pay.
``I wanted to get more out of it,'' Hedges, 21, said. ``You're meeting people in the business community; you're interacting with people in the business community. It's not a classroom. I learn from watching a lot of times, just observing and listening and meeting the different responsibilities she's given me."
Apparently, Hedges' work pleased Ison, too. ``Kara's been my right hand. I would keep her full time with me, but I can't have her quit school.''
Bradshaw and McLawhorn said internships must test students with meaningful work and responsibilities, not just use them as office ``gofers.''
Roanoke College senior and WSLS (Channel 10) intern Lisa Crawford, 21, said she enjoys being trusted to complete her job without constant supervision.
``They give us work to do by ourselves because they know that's how we're going to learn.''
``These are supposed to be viable experiences,'' Bradshaw said. ``If [businesses] say they'd like to take an intern, they need to have a plan for that person.''
Students considering an internship away from home should heed the advice of 20-year-old Ane Johnson, a James River High School graduate and Hollins College junior who described her living experience while interning for Amnesty International in Washington, D.C., as less than desirable.
``If you're going to live with [people] you don't know, you really need to scope them out,'' Johnson said.
Many students try to find internships in their hometowns to keep expenses low, but finding a temporary home can be a nightmare for students interning out of town.
``Try to stay with a relative, or a friend, or an alum. You need to meet the people before you go, too,'' Johnson said. ``I just didn't plan well enough for the trip.''
Regardless of the difficulties they've faced, most interns said they would do it all over again.
``It opens a lot of doors, which is what an internship is supposed to do,'' Jones said. ``I wish I had a bigger office, though.''
Staff writer Michael Croan and photographer Alan Spearman are interns at The Roanoke Times this summer.
LENGTH: Long : 118 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN SPEARMAN Staff. 1. WSLS (Channel 10) intern Lisaby CNBCrawford compiles information for the evening news during a phone
interview. 2. Stark Jones (background) has spent his summer working
in the Roanoke City Manager's Office. Stark, who is working on a
master's degree at West Virginia University, says he wants to be a
city manager some day. He puts in 50 to 60 hours a week with no
possibility of overtime pay, but says the experience makes the job
worthwhile. color.