Always be prepared: Brooks Institute has programs in place to help you land a job.(Knowledge & Career)

For students, training and talent are a huge part of the equation, but without the ability to market themselves, finding an in-field job could be difficult.

Brooks Institute, with six campuses throughout Southern California, knows that competition is fierce, and before letting its students--working toward degrees in video production, graphic design, professional photography, and visual journalism--graduate, the school makes sure the students have all the tools they need to make themselves hirable. Brooks does this in a number of different ways: for instance, offering required seminars and courses geared toward finding an internship and helping with a job search after graduation.

Real-world Experience

While internships are not required at Brooks Institute, the faculty strongly encourages students in that direction by having career-services

advisors visit classrooms and talk to students who are eligible for full-time, for-credit internships about how the process works. "Students are learning all the technical tools they need here, but internships coupled with our business curriculum teach students the real-world business aspects to this industry," says Maggie Tomas, Brooks's director of career and student services. "Internships are such a valuable opportunity for the students. They help the students begin networking in the industry and can sometimes lead to continuing positions."

One way the school assists students in obtaining internships is through organized on-campus interviews--held at least six times a year--that benefit the students as well as the companies involved because it allows the firms to meet a handful of students at one location in one day. Yet, with just a few companies participating, how are students chosen? "Sometimes the employer wants to see all interested applicants, sometimes they request career services to screen the best candidates, sometimes they require a certain GPA, and sometimes they ask for faculty recommendations," Tomas says.

A full-time internship has to be approved through the faculty and the academic affairs office. The student and the internship host company must create an eight-week agenda, including their learning objectives. "This ensures that the internship is a learning experience for the student," says Tomas.