Chasing the Pot of Gold: Internships on the Road to Employment

• Main Author: Horowitz, Edward M
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 01.08.1996
• Subjects: Higher Education; Internship Programs; Job Search Methods; Journalism Education; Majors (Students); Occupational Surveys; Salaries; Student Experience; University of Wisconsin Madison

A study examined the value of multiple internships for journalism majors and their effect on three parts of the job search: number of job offers, amount of time spent looking for a job, and starting salary. Questionnaires were mailed to the 233 graduates of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A total of 112 surveys were returned, for a response rate of 48%. Results indicated that (1) having an internship did not result in a greater number of job offers; (2) the hypothesis that having an internship will lessen the amount of time spent looking for a job was not directly supported, although the more semesters graduates spent interning, the less time they spent looking for employment; and (3) having an internship predicts higher starting salaries. Findings suggest that a college education alone no longer guarantees a job. (Contains 20 references and 16 tables of data.) (RS)