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With the school-free season of summer approaching, students are deciding how to use the sunny days ahead as efficiently and effectively as possible. 

But while initial inclination for students might be a temporary retail job for some quick cash, seeking out and seizing an internship opportunity can prove more beneficial in the long run, according to the UCLA Career Center.

Dario Bravo, internship and study abroad services manager for the center, said the drawback to a temporary job is that there is little room for students to gain exposure to specific fields.

“Internships allow for more freedom and give students more control over what they do,” he said.

Bravo also said internships are becoming increasingly important as the work force becomes more competitive. 

“Both paid and unpaid internships have increased tremendously over the last five years,” Bravo said. “Eighty percent of college students graduating in 2002 had internship experience.” 

Bravo especially encouraged undergraduate and undeclared students to dabble in possible career paths that interest them. 

“How do you know that your field is right for you unless you have experienced it?” he asked. “For students who don’t know what they want to do: find out by trying different things.”

The Career Center’s Local Project Counselor, Eric Baldwin, also recommends that students intern during summer vacation.

Baldwin discussed benefits of summer internships and jobs with about 20 students Thursday at Rieber Hall.

“A big part of an internship is finding out whether you like the field,” Baldwin said. 

He went on to explain that low-paying, career-oriented positions “allow you to gain skills that will translate into a higher salary when you graduate.”

One of the students attending the workshop was John Chang, a first-year engineering student. Chang plans to get an internship that will help him along his career path and believes internships are more helpful than jobs.

Another internship advocate is UCLA alumna Silvia Thomas, who manages internships for the UCLA medical department’s Care Extender Internship Program. 

Thomas obtained her current position through an internship in the program while studying at UCLA.

“The whole point of an internship is to get experience,” she said. “You are there to learn, and internships are hands-on.”

Thomas also said undergraduate students should intern sooner rather than later. 

“Don’t put it off because before you commit to a specific career; you should know what you are getting yourself into,” she said.

To find internship and career-related job openings, Baldwin said Internet sites, newspapers and personal contacts are excellent ways to seek out employment opportunities. 

The Career Center provides students with a variety of programs, ranging from Washington, D.C. summer internships for those who want to travel to crime-scene investigation internships.

Career counseling, résumé assistance and even mock interviews are available at the Career Center.

Both Bravo and Baldwin assured the students that companies are still hiring for summer interns.

“This is the stuff that builds resumes and opens doors,” Bravo said. “It sets you above the next job applicant.”

Information about summer internships can be found at the UCLA Career Center Web site at www.career.ucla.edu.