{"id":519,"date":"2024-02-02T00:43:30","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T00:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/?post_type=ht_kb&#038;p=519"},"modified":"2025-06-05T18:17:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T18:17:51","slug":"internship-guide","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/knowledge-base\/internship-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Internship Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 800\">Should I take the Internship class?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The internship class is an option for Visual Design, Graphic Design, and User Experience majors. You\u2019re eligible for this course if:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You will have completed at least 30 credit hours of <\/span><b>Viscom courses<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">before the start of your Internship Course.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You\u2019ve taken Career Exploration in Visual Communication or UX Career Lab.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 800\">What are the course requirements?<\/span><\/h3>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt\" align=\"left\">\n<table style=\"border: none;border-collapse: collapse\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 0pt\">\n<td style=\"vertical-align: top;background-color: #434343;padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow: hidden;border: solid #666666 1pt\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2;text-align: center;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 13pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #ffffff;background-color: transparent;font-weight: bold;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">Fall \/ Spring Semester (16 weeks)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align: top;background-color: #434343;padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow: hidden;border: solid #666666 1pt\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2;text-align: center;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 13pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #ffffff;background-color: transparent;font-weight: bold;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">Summer Semester (10 weeks)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 0pt\">\n<td style=\"vertical-align: top;padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow: hidden;border: solid #666666 1pt\">\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 0;margin-bottom: 0;padding-inline-start: 48px\">\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc;font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2;margin-top: 10pt;margin-bottom: 10pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">Minimum of 208 work hours*<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc;font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2;margin-top: 10pt;margin-bottom: 10pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">40 hours of coursework<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc;font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2;margin-top: 10pt;margin-bottom: 10pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">Roughly\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: bold;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">15 hours\/week<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align: top;padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow: hidden;border: solid #666666 1pt\">\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 0;margin-bottom: 0;padding-inline-start: 48px\">\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc;font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2;margin-top: 10pt;margin-bottom: 10pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">Minimum of 170 work hours*<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc;font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2;margin-top: 10pt;margin-bottom: 10pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">40 hours of coursework<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"list-style-type: disc;font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2;margin-top: 10pt;margin-bottom: 10pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: 400;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">Roughly\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;color: #000000;background-color: transparent;font-weight: bold;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;vertical-align: baseline\">21 hours\/week<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">*You may work more hours if you like. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(This can be helpful if your internship is paid!)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 500\">You will be expected to:<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Secure your own internship the semester <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">before<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> you intend on taking the course<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conduct yourself professionally<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meet job requirements<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Communicate effectively with supervisors and co-workers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meet with your employer\/supervisor at least once a week<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meet deadlines<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Take initiative\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 500\">In addition you will:<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Attend two mandatory classroom meetings at the beginning and end of the semester.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Submit a weekly report to your instructor outlining what you\u2019re working on, what you achieved, and any challenges you\u2019re encountering.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Give a presentation on your accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned at the end of the semester so that other students can learn from your experience.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 800\">How do I get an internship?<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is primarily <\/span><b>your responsibility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to secure an internship position.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Begin looking for an internship position early in the semester <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">before <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">you intend to take the course. The sooner the better, many Internship opportunities are posted several months in advance of their start date.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apply to <\/span><b>more than one<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> opportunity and <\/span><b>don\u2019t wait<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> until registration to begin.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once registered, your instructor will send a list of opportunities that you may apply for. These are opportunities, not guarantees, which is why you should also apply for opportunities outside of the ones provided by the instructor.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 800\">To qualify for the class you must:<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Register for the <\/span><b>\u2018Strategies for Viscom Jobs\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> course the semester before you intend on taking Internship. This four week intensive course is completely FREE, and takes you through the entire job application process from start to finish with one-on-one coaching. This is a great way to get help with your application materials and get started with your job search!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/29w9EnakekBnDj2H8\"><span style=\"font-weight: 600\">Register for \u2018Strategies for Viscom Jobs\u2019 HERE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prepare the following application materials. You will <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> be given clearance to register for the course until you provide these materials. Note that you will prepare these materials in the &#8216;Strategies&#8217; course.<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Cover Letter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; This should state what caught your interest in an internship with that company, and why you are the perfect fit for their internship.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Resume<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; About you, your education, your work history, and your objectives.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Mini Portfolio<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; if you do not already have one, choose your top 3\u20135 projects and format them in Adobe Portfolio or in a PDF. For each project include a few sentences that explain: What\u00a0 was the problem you were solving? What was your approach to solving the problem? What were the results (feedback)? <a href=\"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/knowledge-base\/how-to-make-a-mini-portfolio-for-internship-apps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">View an in depth guide on prepping your mini portfolio HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Submit the <strong>Internship Registration Request Form<\/strong>. This is where you will upload your application materials so that you can get approval to register for the course. You will not be able to register for the course without submitting this form.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/bkFYBu2iwEUFRhfG9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Complete the Registration Request Form HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Start looking for opportunities.<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Reach out to companies you like. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If there is a company that has caught your eye, begin with them. Many Interns have secured an internship by reaching out to the company that they are interested in and asking if they are hiring for the following semester. Begin by explaining which qualities of the company drew you in.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Search the Web. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Look at: AIGA (if you\u2019re a member), Austin Ad Fed, LinkedIn, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/career-services\/job-postings\/?_gl=1%2Aptktq3%2A_ga%2AMTE2MDUzODkzMS4xNjYwMTczNjQz%2A_ga_WCRFYXY5XT%2AMTY5NzY1OTAyOC4xMTQwLjEuMTY5NzY2MDUwNS42MC4wLjA.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Handshake<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/Job\/austin-graphic-designer-intern-jobs-SRCH_IL.0,6_IC1139761_KO7,30_SAJR.htm?ja=211855898&amp;uvk=gpyoiap:jsR4xSLjWgS2iqg7zGifnQ&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=jobalert&amp;utm_campaign=jobAlertAlert&amp;utm_content=ja-alljobs-JACTABOTTOM\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Glassdoor<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/indeed.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Indeed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/simplyhired.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Simplyhired<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and good ol\u2019 fashioned Google.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Reach out to Austin based companies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yeti, Kendra Scott, AMD, Apple, Charles Schwab, Cirrus Logic, Dell, Dimensional Fund Advisors, are all good places to start.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Should I take the Internship class? The internship class is an option for Visual Design, Graphic Design, and User Experience majors. You\u2019re eligible for this course if: You will have completed at least 30 credit hours of Viscom courses before the start of your Internship Course. You\u2019ve taken Career Exploration&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"ht-kb-category":[18],"ht-kb-tag":[],"class_list":["post-519","ht_kb","type-ht_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","ht_kb_category-our-classes-and-programs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/ht_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/519\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ht_kb_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb-category?post=519"},{"taxonomy":"ht_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admc.austincc.edu\/viscom-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb-tag?post=519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}