Internship opportunities available to OCCC students

By Brittanie Paden, News Writing Student

Joyce Burch, Manager of Graduate Outreach and Internships at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, paid a visit to OCCC’s campus Nov. 7.

She provided information on the Greater Grads program for students looking for a summer internship, a career after graduation, and provided many reasons why recent college graduates should stay in Oklahoma.

She said Forbes Magazine named Oklahoma City number 9 on the “Ten Best U.S. Cities to Find a Job.”

“We have a great community for welcoming new businesses,” Burch said. “You are able to have more fun, able to do more things, and able to accumulate your wealth at an earlier age.”

The Chamber of Commerce will hold a career fair April 8 and is an opportunity for students to talk with Oklahoma companies that have positions to fill in the state.

There is also the summer internship program. This program is designed to help students get more involved in finding work in their field.

“We feel like students who have internships are more likely to stay in the community after they graduate,” Burch said.

To find an internship, students can go online and click on the link titled “Find an Internship.”

There are job descriptions posted and a way to contact the companies directly. On the website there are 30 listings. Several are paid internships in finance, business services, energy, and public policy. Some of the internships are unpaid but allow students to earn college credit.

“As we get closer to the end of the year, there will be more and more job descriptions on there and a lot of them will be for summer,” Burch said.

She stressed the importance of students putting themselves out there.

“You’ve all heard, it’s not what you know, but who you know. And it really is when you are looking for a job. It’s all about making those connections.”

Career and Employment Services was responsible for bringing Burch to campus.

“Half the battle is finding out what the opportunities are,” said Debra Vaughn, Career and Employment Services director.

Burch said internships work.

“It is important to pursue an internship and get that experience before you get out of college. Because not only are you putting things on your résumé, but you are meeting people who are going to help you get your job,” Burch said.