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Is there any relationship between what’s taught at university and what an intern really does? Fresh from the UTS Communications program, BlueChip’s newest recruit, intern Gabby Watson, compares theory with practice.
“When you leave these halls as communications graduates, you are expected to have experience through internships. Good luck finding a job otherwise.”
This is the line 250 nervous first year communications students – myself included – were met with on their very first day of university. Some scoffed, while others cringed at the thought of having to enter the workforce before graduation was even possible. Nonetheless, the seed had been planted in the minds of many: find an internship, ASAP!
In the current communications environment, experience is paramount. Students are warned during their years of study that it’s unrealistic to expect to find employment without it.
But is the relationship between what is taught at university and the tasks completed by an intern really that strong?
More often than not, university content is deliberately varied. Tutorial exercises and the focuses of assignments are wide. This is designed to give students an understanding of the different disciplines within communications and the various sectors in which we might find careers. We are continually taught that understanding the work of theorists such as Grunig and Habermas is vital if we ever expect to develop strong communications strategies in the real world. Yet the work of such figures has not been mentioned during my short time here at BlueChip. Nor has it been for my friends during their time as interns at different firms.
Truthfully, writing this blog is the first thing that has directly correlated my university experience with the work I do here at BlueChip.
It is for this very reason that internships have become an invaluable component of a student’s university experience. The opportunity to learn in an environment that encourages autonomy and development provides a different perspective of the profession.
In my own experience, starting an internship here at BlueChip has been a key factor in helping determine my future career path. It has helped confirm that I want to work in communications and PR in the future. I have learned more during my few short weeks here at BlueChip than I have in two years of lectures and tutorials. I have discovered that communications is a profession that requires one to work independently and engage in extensive research across a range of different sources. Compared to the incredible depth of theory we are taught at university, it is a heavily practice-based profession.
That is not to say that my time at university to date has been unhelpful or irrelevant. My university course has helped me develop a set of skills that are fundamental to the success of any communications professional. These include effective time management, working to strict deadlines (often of my own making in the course of said time management) and developing a keen eye for detail.
My conclusion? Ultimately, our lecturers were correct when they said true success in this course and in our future careers can be found through experience. This is exactly what working at BlueChip is helping me achieve.
