During these stressful economic times, students beginning to venture out into the post-college world may find the job hunt to be a pretty daunting endeavor. The good news is that there is a way to rise above the slumping economy and deteriorating job market.

The City College Internship and Work Experience program enables students to take classes based on career goals, and obtain internships relating to their area of interest.

“We offer approximately 1,045 internships representing over 100 different majors,” says Wendy Slobodnik, Internship and Work Experience coordinator.

Slobodnik offers three good reasons for students to pursue an internship. First: it permits students a glimpse into the career they have chosen to pursue, says Slobodnik.

Second: it allows students to get real-world experience. In a nationwide study, the Department of Health and Welfare Services found that 70 percent of employers expect students to have completed an internship before graduation.

Third: an internship can convert to a job. Such was the case for Ben Stone, a former student who majored in Engineering Design Technology, who now works full-time as a result of his internship and experience with the program.

“Experience is key to getting a job in my field,” said Stone. “Most employers are interested in seeing hands-on experience, so an internship is really important. I would highly recommend the program to anyone who wants an internship because it really helps bridge the gap between what you’re learning in school and what you’ll be doing in the real world.”

Troy Carter is another City College student is also doing an internship. Carter is in the office of State Assembly member Anthony Portantino. The internship program helped him out.

“I wanted to be involved somewhere in the legislative process,” said Carter. “Now that I’ve done this internship, I am sure that I want to be a part of a full-time egislative staff.” The internship in Portantino’s office was a perfect fit since Portantino is also the chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee.

The process of getting an internship does not take very long. Both students were able to get theirs fairly quickly. “There are three main qualifications the students have to meet,” Slobodnik says. “They need to have taken two to five classes in their majors;-the more technical the major, the more classes they will have to have taken.

The student also needs a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.5. And finally, students have to be able to devote four to 20 hours a week to their internship, says Slobodnik. Qualified students can go to (https://wexp.losrios.edu/default.asp) to view available internships.