Student Spotlight: Austen Edwards

Getting Creative with your Internship/Job Search

    Internships can play a critical role in shaping our college experience. They can give us new insights into our major, give us a passion for a new, unexpected career path, and help us see our own strengths and weaknesses in the workplace. But, finding internships can be very difficult, despite the many tools in place today to help students. Piecemeal Google searches can prove ineffective and databases with a million different opportunities can be overwhelming. But, then, how do you go about tracking down an internship by yourself? Well, of the many lessons that I have learned through my previous job searches, the most salient point is that you cannot find an internship by yourself; it must be a community effort. Only by talking to your professors, your advisors, Georgia Tech alumni, and fellow students can you truly take advantage of the many competitive opportunities open to students.

     During my first year on campus, I saw several emails promoting seminars and lectures organized by the Center for Strategy, Technology, and Policy at Georgia Tech. These events touched on issues ranging from the transformation of the US' nuclear enterprise to the political economy of the Taiwan Strait. After gaining some encouragement from my advisor, I reached out to the faculty and staff of CISTP to express my interest in participating in the very interesting research and programming work that they were doing. Two months later, I was eating in a Korean barbeque on Buford Highway and discussing the long-term energy security of the DPRK with two North Korean diplomats after wrapping up an event with the Center. I was only able to make the most of such awesome experiences because I had drawn on the incredible resources that my advisor and professors were able to provide to me.

     The following summer, I struggled for several weeks to find some new and exciting opportunities to expand my work experiences, while still taking classes on campus. I spent hours trolling through databases and websites trying to find a small nugget of information here or there. Finally, my frustration became evident to my advisor and she quickly suggested I reach out to some alumni in the area who might be able to help. After persisting through several dead-ends, I soon spoke to one alumni who was willing to give me a recommendation to the Consul General of Canada here in Atlanta. I spent the next 4 months building trade missions of Canadian IT and communications firms to visit the Southeast and advised them on the unique marketing challenges they would face in order to gain a foothold in the US military's procurement system. The lessons I learned about international trade and the challenges of interfacing with corporate executives have proven truly invaluable as I have moved forward in my career at Tech. Again, I was only able to find such a rewarding experience by drawing on the strong connections and sense of mutual support within the Georgia Tech community.

     A year later, as I prepared to depart on a GT faculty-led study abroad program, I decided that I would like to extend my stay in Europe with 5-6 week internship in Brussels. But, if finding an internship is tough, then finding one abroad is downright difficult. Without knowing the professional climate in other cultures or having any network to draw upon, tracking down unique opportunities abroad requires huge amounts of time to chase down loose ends and rumors. Fortunately, I spoke to my professor and asked if she had any contacts in Belgium who may be able to help me get a foot in the door at a government agency, international organization, or research center. Without hesitation, she offered to ask some of her many colleagues abroad and soon returned with the chance to help conduct fascinating research on Eurasian security with a global, action-oriented 'think-and-do tank,' called the EastWest Institute. Yet again, a simple conversation with my professor led to an incredible experience working abroad with scholars from around the world.

     From each of these experiences, I have learned that there is no silver bullet in career development and no perfect formula for finding an internship. Sure, it helps to familiarize yourself with the range and variety of internships available in your field through web searches and career fairs. But, beyond this simple step, I firmly believe that the very best resources we have available to us are our faculty, advisers, alumni, and fellow students. By fully participating in the Georgia Tech community, basic conversations about your goals can yield incredible results as we rally to support each other in our endeavors. So, know yourself, know your goals, and start chatting!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Hello readers!
Every week, Career Services will be posting blogs by students who have had experience with internship or full-time job searches. We hope that their experiences provide guidance to those of you who are or will be searching for jobs or internships soon! If you would like to contribute to the Career Services blog, e-mail us your blog post and a picture to gtcareer2011@gmail.com and stay updated with our Facebook and Twitter for more information!