It’s the time of year when seniors decide if they would like to complete the last parts of their education or begin their first steps of adulthood by getting an
internship. It’s an important decision as it will determine how you will be spending most of your final days at high school. It’s the culmination of your last four years of childhood. While this decision is crucial it is of some importance to be thankful that Oakton has these opportunities in store for our final year of required education.
NOVA is a rich region of different job markets intersecting and intertwining to create a rich and diverse economy. This gives graduating Oakton students the opportunity to explore their interests after high school when it comes to employment and job opportunities. Kent Sabella is a senior here at Oakton who is planning on pursuing a career in the medical field so because of this he has planned to start an internship at a local pharmacy. Allowing him to both get out of school before the rest of us as well as get his foot in the door for the pharmaceutical industry. The internship “grants him real-world experience in a field he is interested in.” He went on to say “it helps me decide if it’s something I’d want to do for the rest of my life.” This is a perfect test run for what’s to come if you don’t enjoy your internship it can allow you to pivot the path you’ve carved out before it really gets set in place.
On Top of experience, these internships can be great for local businesses who can get affordable labor for a small amount of time which could be just the boost a business might need. Of course for some students this could be the perfect opportunity to get out of school, as well as all love our teachers and staff spending some time outside of school would be a great reminder that high school is only the beginning of your story.
At the end of the day for us seniors, it is up to you whether you’d like to take a chance on this opportunity and it’s important to consider. However, for underclassmen, we hope this article has you thinking about your future. It’s never too early to start preparing for your next step in life even if it is a year away, it is far easier to be early than late, so for juniors preparing for college applications in the fall, maybe think about what career path you would like to explore. This is the first step in preparing for your internship. For students preparing for their sophomore and junior years, this could get you thinking about how the classes you are planning to take will affect them.
