Ivan Slywka graduated from the Bachelor of Management program in April of this year with a major in Public Sector Management. Before he graduated, Ivan completed a twelve-month internship with the Government of Saskatchewan through the Management Internship Program. Ivan explains how his experience working with payroll operations was valuable to his overall career development:
“The internship gave me great experience working in a professional environment and allowed me to explore a job much more in depth than any summer job ever did that was directly related to my major. I was able to work on much larger projects that I was able to see through to the end.”
It would have seemed as though Ivan was destined to achieve a career in the public sector, however, he instead secured a post-grad position with Cargill as an Associate Production Supervisor. Ivan claims that although his position is not within his preferred major, he is still able to apply the valuable skills he developed while on his public sector internship:
“Although my current position is not in the public sector I still draw on things every day that I learned during my internship. This includes time management skills, communicating with both co-workers and customers, and technical skills. I’m not disappointed at all that my current job is not in the public sector because the professional skills I learned while on my internship are only going to advance my career no matter what industry I choose to work in. I find the public sector interesting, but I also enjoy the position I have at Cargill. If I could go back, I do wouldn’t change a thing.
Once you start your internship make sure to take opportunities that are offered and seek out things that will challenge you. The internship is a great experience and you will learn a lot even if you don’t end up in your dream job.”
Visit the Bachelor of Management Internship program website for more information on how you can get involved with the program. The application deadline for the 2015 Internship Program is Thursday, January 29th!
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