Carli Butturini
Intern at New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF)
"Working in a large and professional organisation like NZYF opened my eyes to how enjoyable working in an office setting could be."
BA: Major Psychology, Minor Media and Communication
"I saw university and a degree in Arts as a chance to explore my options and open doorways for me, which it has. I learnt that Canterbury has a great student culture as well as a range of courses that I could take through my Arts degree to find something I could pursue into a career.
A unique experience I had was able to take on was the PACE 395 internship course in my final year, which I was placed with New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF), an organisation connecting youth to agriculture.
Working in a large and professional organisation like NZYF opened my eyes to how enjoyable working in an office setting could be. Since I have an agricultural background, I enjoyed working with an organisation I could relate to. I used my minor in Media and Communications to do in-depth research about their member base. Doing an internship through UC had a lot of benefits for my studies, including assignment work to give me the chance to ‘assess, goal-set, and reflect’ on the work I was doing at NZYF. These improved my work with the organisation. It also meant that I had the support of coordinators who could guide me with any queries or worries.
When comparing my internship to others who had done it more privately, there have been significantly more advantages and rewards. Overall, I found doing an internship through the University to be like a tailored course that served all my needs and peaked all my interests. The internship also gave me a much needed confidence boost in my professional work and academic abilities.
It has been very rewarding and one of the most valuable experiences I have had studying here. It is the closest you can get to real and professional work experience, whilst simultaneously using your degree and achieving points. The coordinators are some of the most knowledgeable people I have met in terms of supporting me with my career aspirations and the internship itself."