(BLACK PR WIRE/FAMU-TALLAHASSEE) – Internship season is quickly approaching, and it is time for students to decide what plan of actions they will be taking; whether it is summer school, an exotic vacation, a summer job or internship.

Director of the Florida A&M University’s Career Center, Delores Dean, recommends every student complete at least one internship before graduation. The Career Center assists all students at FAMU seeking full-time, summer employment, co-op positions and internship opportunities. “A lot of students need to take advantage of our facilities,” Dean said. “After fulfilling an internship, students gain a sense of pride, as well as being able to seek greater opportunities because of the experience they have gained.” According to Dean, some companies are even willing to pay for students’ graduate school if employed by them.

Tiffani Davis, a fall 2008 professional MBA graduate, said she has fulfilled three internships during her college career. “I have gotten all of my internships through relationships that the School of Business and Industry has with our Office of Internship and Career Development,” said the 23-year-old Dallas native. After Davis spoke with officials at SBI about various companies and industries she was interested in, the internship office scheduled interviews for her. “They make the process of finding internships much easier than searching on my own,” she said.

Davis believes that with the economy in a recession, internships also give students a leg up against their colleagues. She said employers tend to prefer students who have on-the-job experience and training. “After being on my internship this past summer, I was given an offer,” she said. “I did not have to worry my last semester about trying to find a job and deal with that stress.” Davis received an offer from her most recent internship with JP Morgan in New York. She said not only do internships help gain experience and open doors, but also some offer long-lasting opportunities and positions.

Brie Lewis, 26, a 2005 professional MBA graduate, is proud to say that four years after graduation, she is still with the same company. The Philadelphia native currently works for Decatur Pharmaceutical in New York. “While on internship, I was able to decide what it was that I wanted to do and not do,” Lewis said. Lewis said she feels her internships prepared her for the professional world. She said she gained a lot of invaluable work experience, including being able to meet deadlines and work well in groups. She also realized that when entering the real world there are several tough decisions to make. “It wasn’t much of a shock to work full time since I have been on a few internships in the past,” Lewis said. “Internships help ease the transition between college and the real world.”