Money conversations podcast episode with Elaine Fernandez
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Obtaining internship experience during college means gaining hands-on job experience, exploring different career options, and growing your network.
It also means having better job opportunities after college graduation.
In this episode of the money conversations podcast series, Making Waves financial services coordinators, Leticia (“Leti”) Perez (she/her) and Briggitte (“Gigi”) Bolanos Vieyra (she/her), sat down with Elaine Fernandez (she/her) to talk all things internships.
A first-generation college graduate, Elaine completed five internships during college to explore fields like finance, marketing, and real estate.
“The biggest way internships impacted me, aside from getting experience, was they showed me specific roles and even the things I wasn’t too interested in. All of the internships I had were completely different from one another,” Elaine shared. “It definitely helped me zero in on what I want to do when I graduate and what I can’t go back to. Internships also helped me because of the people I met and the network I made.”
With her college degree in hand without any student loan debt, Elaine is now a full-time engagement financial advisor.
She shared her college and career story and her advice for the next generation of college grads, including:
- How to find and apply for internship programs
- Ways to improve application and interview skills to get internship offers
- How to ask for help and make the most of mentorship
- The financial and career impacts of choosing between paid and unpaid internships
- The short- and long-term benefits of internships
- How to make the transition from college and internships to full-time career
“Start looking early,” Elaine shared. “I mean start looking early like the summer of your first-year in college. The more time you wait, the more experience is expected of you, which will make it harder for you to get an internship. Start looking early so you’re able to have internships and have that experience so once you’re a senior and you’re ready to graduate you’ll be able to find that job.”
