Future of Fisheries: Perspectives for Emerging Professionals

The Intern–Mentor Experience: A Sample of the Real World

Molly J. Good and John F. Kocik

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874387.ch5

The internship experience, a temporary work period lasting three to six months, holds many meanings for undergraduate students. Some view internships as fun times with friends or opportunities to explore new places. Others may dread them because, despite months of time and effort, the monetary benefits are often limited. Mentoring an intern represents opportunities—chances to work with new people and to give back to the profession—and challenges—attempts to balance busy schedules with intern needs while providing both structure and freedom to foster intellectual discovery.

To break down an internship into navigable steps for emerging professionals, we highlight our own story from written application to professional connection. We describe this journey from two different viewpoints: one from Molly Good (MG), a graduate student, and the other from John Kocik (JK), a mid-career fisheries scientist. We hope this combined approach helps both interns and new mentors understand how they can make this journey a smooth and successful one.