Naperville District 203 Career Internship Program’s Post

As the Career Internship Coordinator for Naperville Community Unit School District 203, I see firsthand how internships empower high school students to explore their passions, develop real-world skills, and gain clarity about their futures. Stories like this show just how much our students bring to the table—they are motivated, curious, and ready to make an impact! 💼 To businesses and organizations: Hosting a high school intern isn’t just an opportunity to mentor; it’s a chance to bring fresh perspectives and innovative energy into your workplace. High school students are bursting with potential, and providing them with real-world experiences creates a win-win: they gain career insights, and you gain a talented young mind eager to learn and contribute. Let’s work together to build the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and changemakers. If you're ready to make a difference and partner with us, let’s connect! 🙌 Together, we can open doors to discovery, growth, and success for our incredible students. #InternshipsMatter #CareerGrowth #FutureLeaders #Elevate203

Over a month into my #marketing internship, my thoughts🧠… 🌟Showing up every day is essential. I don’t mean literally showing up that’s a given, but showing up every day with a drive and a willingness to learn and work hard. 🌟Becoming a lifelong student starts now. You have to be a lifelong learner. It does not end just in high school in college, but it continues out throughout your professional and personal life and it starts now. 🌟Marketing is incredibly engaging and exciting. If you want a job that isn’t boring and requires you to problem solve and be creative every day marketing is where it is at. I am challenged pushed and excited every day for what’s ahead of me. Let me know some of the lessons you’ve learned at your internships either now or in the past! #intern #youngprofessionals

Internship season is quickly approaching, so I'd like to take a moment to remind both interns and the people who hire them about a couple of things. An internship is an opportunity for a young professional to learn about the field they're about to enter. Meaning they are entry level. Don't expect your intern to be the next Picasso. There are going to be some frustrations on both sides. This is a learning experience. Some mistakes are going to be made. Miscommunications will be had. But, they will also be corrected and learned from, which is great practice for both you and the interns! As with any role, there will be a learning curve. Don't expect things to just click, and don't be too hard on yourself when it takes longer than you thought to get things right. An internship is only as successful as the effort you put into it. As tempting as it is to put your new intern at an empty desk and give them menial tasks to complete, there are better ways to spend your internship while still getting those tasks done. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce your interns to your company's mission, vision, values, and goals, as well as a great way to remind yourself of these things as well and realign yourself to them. Our interns are the future of the profession. Investing in them is investing in yourself. #internships #leadership

Looking to bring fresh perspectives to your team while developing future talent? An internship program can be a great way to do just that. Whether you're building a talent pipeline, driving key projects, or fostering innovation, internships offer value for both your organization and the interns. Check out this guide on how to design, recruit, and run a successful internship program.

🌟 Internship Design Insights 🌟 Whenever I talk with organizations about creating meaningful internships, there’s one question that always comes up: “What must we include to create a great experience?” Here are four essential elements: 1️⃣ Focused or Broad Experience: Will the intern work within a specific functional area, or gain experience across multiple areas? Different structures attract students with different career goals. 2️⃣ Mentorship: Beyond performance reviews, how will the intern grow professionally and personally? True mentorship is a cornerstone of impactful experiential learning. 3️⃣ Networking Opportunities: Will the intern have chances to connect with others inside and outside the organization? This could mean multi-departmental projects, partnerships with external clients, or conference attendance. 4️⃣ Compensation and Benefits: If the position is paid, fantastic! But think beyond the hourly rate—covering travel, food, or housing costs, funding certifications, or sponsoring conference attendance can all enhance the intern’s experience. In a competitive labor market, these benefits can set your internship apart and attract top talent eager to make an impact on your organization. Thoughts or questions about structuring internships? Drop them in the comments—I’d love to hear from you! #Internship #InternshipDesign #Career #ProfessionalDevelopment #FutureLeaders #WorkforceDevelopment

Although internship season is over for many students, these are some things that shouldn’t come to an end: 1️⃣ The relationships you’ve built during the course of your internship. Your manager, supervisor, colleague and even fellow interns are invaluable resources. You would need them far beyond the internship and you should never forget such connections. In fact keep them closer than ever. 2️⃣ The brand you’ve built during the course of your internship. Your brand is basically how people perceive you. And everyone builds a brand whether it is consciously or unconsciously. During internships, students strive to be hardworking and diligent so they leave a good impression on their team and company. This type of brand should not be put aside once the internship is over, but rather it should be nurtured. 3️⃣ Your passion to learn. Internships are usually our first form of work experience and there’s that passion we have to learn as much as we can during those 3-4 months. However, this passion shouldn’t die once the internship is over. You should find ways afterwards to keep your curiosity alive by plugging yourself into books, courses and communities to foster your learning journey. 4️⃣ Your willingness to grow. Being in a new environment challenges us to grow whether we like it or not. This usually happens by nature of the internship but it is something that can be done consciously and actively. By constantly putting yourself outside of your comfort zone you create a new environment for growth. 5️⃣ Your ability to ask for help and seek out feedback. There’s a level of independence we gain during internships but at the same time there’s a level of dependence we also gain at the same time. I call this the healthy dependence. As interns we’re not afraid to ask our superiors / managers for help because they know we’re still growing. It’s okay to keep this after the internship even when you start working full time, as it will help more than you think. What else do you think students shouldn’t drop once the internship season is over ? Share in the comments below 👇🏽 Repost / share with someone who just completed their internship 🙌🏾 ———— Follow me for more tips related to early careers ❤️ #breakintotech #earlycareer #undergrads #internship #summerinterns

🚀 10 Reasons Every Student Should Intern in 2024! 🚀 Internships aren’t just about adding experience to your resume—they’re opportunities to gain real-world insights, build valuable connections, and sharpen skills for your future career. From learning practical skills to boosting confidence, internships pave the way for personal and professional growth! 🌟💼 Swipe through to discover how an internship can be the game-changer for your journey in 2024! 📈✨ More details on the website! #InternshipBenefits #CareerGrowth #StudentsIn2024 #SkillBuilding #FutureReady #BeWise

There are so many companies, so much awareness, and so much hype around this degree. Then why is it so difficult for good students to find internships? Why don't companies create separate departments for internships, so instead of feeling disheartened, students can learn and gain experience? Personally, I don't know any company that regularly offers paid internships to a large number of students. If you know any, please mention them. Having a dedicated department for internships where students can gain experience and then some of them can be offered jobs would be beneficial. For those who don't get job offers, at least they'll understand why and have a path forward instead of spending months at home after graduation. Give them an opportunity, a chance to prove themselves. Many companies can afford this, but they only offer 2 or 3 internships, and that's it. Companies should step forward, do some planning, and give these young people a chance. And do mention the CEOs and founders of top companies. Let's help these kids come forward and earn for their family. #InternshipOpportunities #YouthEmployment #CareerDevelopment #OpportunityForAll #SkillsBuilding #FutureWorkforce

Internships. We are in the season when students are inquiring/looking/stressing about finding an internship. Which got me thinking - what really is an internship? A few definitions: Wikipedia: a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time - This is not inspiring. Forbes: Internships are short-term opportunities to gain entry-level work experience. - This is also not inspiring. NACE: A form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional workplace setting - BINGO! We are all executives, leaders, and explorers on our own career journeys. We are still applying theory into practical application...in a way, we are all still interning. So if we broaden our definitions, what experiences can we offer these kids? I would challenge all of us to think beyond the 'formal internship program' and say - in my work and in my world, what practical application and skills could I expose a student? Is there a way to help them see how to take knowledge and theory and get a better sense of what we all do with it? Is this work on us? Sure. But I think we all remember that experience, that conversation, that project, that "internship" that steered us in a direction, set us on the course, and shaped us into who we are now. It was a big deal for us then and it's a big deal for them now. #payitforward #internships #college #foodforthought

Another "hot" topic now that summer is around the corner: Internships! Contrary to popular belief, interns are for more than just fetching coffee and making copies. With the right approach, an internship program is a low-cost way to increase productivity and creativity in your organization while developing your future workforce and creating goodwill in your community. We have created a guide to help your organization get the most out of your internship program so that it is productive for both you and your intern(s). #intern #interns #internship #internshipprogram #summerinterns #mentorship #leadershipdevelopment #networking #college #university #talentdevelopment #talentpipeline #infographic #guide #internguide #internshipguide