Duke students fearing the worst for their internship prospects this summer should breathe a little easier according to Career Center officials, who said searches overall have not been sidelined by the economic downturn.
Fewer representatives from firms involved in finance, consulting and technology will be at the Career and Summer Opportunities Fair today and Friday. But 110 recruiters are expected to come this year, said David Lapinski, assistant director of employer relations for the Career Center. That is one more than the number of companies who attended last Spring, according to previous reports in The Chronicle.
"A positive development has been that more students have begun to diversify their search field," Lapinski said. "Thankfully, the greater mix of firms appearing will expose the students to various opportunities."
More have turned to unpaid internships or working in less-conventional jobs, he said, adding that those opportunities can be just as valuable as working on Wall Street and other generally desired destinations.
"Internships have historically been about the experience over the pay, and that hasn't changed much today," Lapinski said. "Now jobs such as assets management, financial analysis and the various opportunities provided by nonprofit organizations are gaining more attention, and rightfully so-they provide an invaluable learning experience."
Some students have expressed anxiety over the internship search in the current economic climate, but have said they are still confident they can find a fulfilling opportunity, even if that requires being adaptable.
"I assume that this economy would create a more challenging road to an internship," junior Allie Vergotz said. "My primary goal is a paid internship, but I understand that may not be as likely this time around. Ultimately, experience is the important thing."
Sophomore Karna Mital, a member of the Career Center's Career Advising Team who is also searching for an internship, noted that he has broadened his search to look for opportunities at places he may not have considered at first.
"The Career Center does a great job of offering a variety of resources for kids to still gain an opportunity for experience," Mital said. "It might take more time because different options may have to be considered, but it's a great chance for someone to find something new that may be better than what was originally desired."
Ultimately, it is in a company's best interest to hire interns, which may explain why many firms still have a strong recruitment process, Lapsinki said.
"The economy hasn't really affected the way we approach searching for and hiring interns," said Shannon Hennessy, an associate principal for the consulting firm McKinsey & Company. "Just like any company, we are still very interested in hiring talented workers for the future in order to continue growing. Especially at a time like this, it's important that we maintain our commitment to hiring the right people for the job, and interning provides us a great way to do so."
Career Center advisers offered reassurance that many worthwhile jobs still exist.
"We have been fortunate not to be experiencing any serious negative effects from the current economy," said Holly Duke, an assistant director at the Career Center. "As far as the assistance we are offering and the events that are running, we are still going strong."
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