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Old 04-20-2014, 01:32 PM
 
1,855 posts, read 2,909,759 times
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I'm currently a full time student (not working) and about to finish my first year of grad school in pursuit of my MPA degree. Many people say that it's important to get in internship during the summer break of grad school...and that the internship is potentially more important than the actual coursework. However, I already have 6 years of solid government work experience (I'm 29) so I'm not the typical "green" grad student trying to grab whatever work/internship experience I can get. So, my two options are:

1. Get a summer internship and go to school part time during the summer semester.
2. Don't work and go to school full time during the summer semester. This option would allow me to take the difficult MPA capstone course by itself during the spring semester.

I need to attend school at least part time during the summer to graduate on time. What would you do if you were in my shoes? Also, note that I don't need the money from any internship to sustain me.
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Old 04-20-2014, 01:53 PM
 
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I'm a second year MPA student myself and would ask why do you need to take an internship if you already have a job??? The MPA degree should be there to further your current position if its a good government job. But if you're wanting to switch jobs or fields, then an internship is probably your best bet. Internships are there for the experience and the potential of a job when you are done, so if you need neither or its a field you're already familiar with, there is no need to do one really.
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Old 04-20-2014, 02:04 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by USMCPOG View Post
I'm a second year MPA student myself and would ask why do you need to take an internship if you already have a job??? The MPA degree should be there to further your current position if its a good government job. But if you're wanting to switch jobs or fields, then an internship is probably your best bet. Internships are there for the experience and the potential of a job when you are done, so if you need neither or its a field you're already familiar with, there is no need to do one really.
I should have clarified. I have six years of work experience (in the past) but I am currently not working while attending school. The internship would mainly serve as a potential full time job once I graduate.
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Old 04-20-2014, 02:30 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howiester View Post
I should have clarified. I have six years of work experience (in the past) but I am currently not working while attending school. The internship would mainly serve as a potential full time job once I graduate.
Yea, then you should definately do it. Internships are kind of pointless after you graduate and get employed, so you should do it while you're in school if you can get a job out of it.
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Old 04-20-2014, 06:32 PM
 
Location: NY/LA
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I was in a similar situation to yours: I was in grad school with 7 years of experience and another graduate degree already under my belt. I decided to skip the internship, take classes over the summer and take a lighter courseload for my final semester. It was actually a nice, relaxing few months before re-entering industry and if given the opportunity, I would do the same thing all over again.

That being said, it never hurts to have more (and more recent) experience. If you also wanted to test the waters in a different role or field, internships are a great, low-risk way to do it. It also comes down to how confident you are in finding a post-graduation job. I already had an established network to turn to when it came time to look for work, and felt confident that I could secure a nice offer before graduation.
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Old 04-21-2014, 07:26 AM
 
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Is your job experience in your Master's field? If not, do the internship.
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Old 04-21-2014, 08:27 AM
 
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Originally Posted by golfgal View Post
Is your job experience in your Master's field? If not, do the internship.
Yes and no. The MPA is a government admin degree, and while I have six years of "government" experience, the job roles I had were more specialized (I have experience in real estate, IT, and logistics). I'm not even sure if the overarching "government job" even exists anymore.

It would be like and MBA student having several years of "business" experience. However, the word business covers so many fields.
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Old 04-21-2014, 09:05 AM
 
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Also, I am curious to whether employers will punish me for not working during grad school if I choose to take that route.
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Old 04-21-2014, 09:30 AM
 
158 posts, read 332,168 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howiester View Post
Also, I am curious to whether employers will punish me for not working during grad school if I choose to take that route.
How many(or what kind of) employers actually expect a full-time graduate student to work full-time? Assuming you are a full-time student...
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Old 04-21-2014, 09:51 AM
 
1,855 posts, read 2,909,759 times
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Originally Posted by Lakers4kb View Post
How many(or what kind of) employers actually expect a full-time graduate student to work full-time? Assuming you are a full-time student...
Yes, I'm a full time student.

Also, I know that you asked a rhetorical question, but honestly who knows nowadays.
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