THE SUCCESSFUL INTERNSHIP: PERSONAL, PROFESSIONAL, AND CIVIC DEVELOPMENT, 5th Edition, is more than a resource for finding and interviewing for internships--it covers the entire internship experience, how you fit into it and how you can get the most out of it. It addresses the concerns, emotions, needs and unique personal challenges that you'll experience and focuses on the internship as a vehicle for your development as a civic professional. The authors detail the path that you'll embark on and the challenges you'll face along the way. A four-stage model of the internship process--anticipation, exploration, competence and culmination--places the material in a framework that helps you understand the work you'll be doing.
I’m always looking for ways to improve my internship program and picked this up with that aim in mind. While this book is geared towards human services internships and working with clients, there was a lot of good information that can be applied to a more general internship setting, such as the developmental stages of an internship, maximizing the likelihood of a fulfilling experience, goal statements and learning objectives, the different roles of a supervisor, and problem solving. I skipped or skimmed the chapters heavily focused on human services but read the more general chapters and enjoyed them.
This book was written clearly and for all kinds of internship possibilities. I am currently in a mental health program and this internship book was extremely informative regarding how I should approach my supervisor and grow as a student. I think it's important to note that this book is written with the expectation that the student has a mentor at their educational institution as well. However, if one does not have access to an educational mentor, this book is fantastic all on its own because of its concise directions. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to get the most out of their internship experience.
This J's one of the few tomes that I've had to read a textbook cover to cover, but I feel that all the information here is valuable. I will definitely be hanging on to this book throughout my internships.
I am using this for one of the courses I teach, and while it is perfectly acceptable for classroom use, I do wish it included more about student development in the internship experience.
Absolutely excellent book. It really helps frame the internship experience in a manner to encourage the intern to get the most out of it, particularly in a service learning setting.