In today’s competitive job market, experience matters now more than ever. Colleges and employers are no longer looking at just grades and test scores; they are looking for individuals with initiative, leadership, and real-world skills. Internships and real-world experiences allow high school students to stand out while exploring potential career paths. For some individuals, achieving high grades or performing well in athletics was the main focus over the course of their high school careers, and while these are not poor choices to work toward, there are many other ways students can best prepare themselves for their futures. Students who choose not only to perform well academically and athletically but also in a real-world environment are quickly becoming indomitable. Recently, I had the opportunity to shadow Katie Nelson, Executive Director of Public Policy at Indiana Farm Bureau. Through this experience, I quickly learned how critical it is to educate yourself about today’s problems and enrich your simple leadership skills. I had the chance to meet senators, legislators, and many other politicians through this opportunity. As I spoke to these individuals, they often said they could not emphasize enough how critical work experience is, especially in today’s competitive job markets, such as the political world. Building connections is vital to the success of any individual aspiring to a career that is much larger than themselves.
My interest in this field of study was sparked a while back after attending the Advocacy Day put on by the Indiana State FFA officers. The fire to build my name and make connections was lit. Junior, Landen Thorpe, a member of this event, was asked if this event changed his career goals and said, “ This experience did slightly change my career goals as Advocacy day opened up an opportunity I was unaware of which is being able to intern in the Indiana statehouse during college which could further influence my career after I obtain my degree in agribusiness.” Not only was the day educational, but allowed students to learn about new opportunities through the statehouse. Katie Nelson was asked if she believes job shadowing and internships help students become successful in future careers and said, “ Job shadowing can help students identify what they are interested in (or not interested in!). It can also help them identify the various different paths they can take to reach their career goals. With this being said, she was also asked how internships help her organization at Indiana Farm Bureau and added, “INFB benefits from internships not just because of the help with workload, but also because we believe in investing in the next generation. Internships are often launching points for ca,reers and we want to give that opportunity to others.
As a student who has experienced these opportunities firsthand to see what these careers entail in real life, I am a firm believer that gaining as much experience and learning outside of the classroom is not only vital to a student’s education but is an extremely beneficial way for them to become well-rounded, hard-working individuals. Opportunities such as internships or job shadowing not only assist students in becoming educated but also help them find their true career passions. Without the help of the generations before us, young students might miss out on opportunities that could truly be life-changing. All in all, gaining experience outside the classroom in day-to-day work experiences will not only help students but also help build them into better people in our society.
