Activities

SPD or Internship: Which One Suits You Best?

Sat, 07 Oct 2023

As the new semester starts, we interviewed some of our friends in ELESP Sanata Dharma, Yogyakarta who have different choices in surviving their 6th-semester edu-preneur aspects. Each decision comes with sensations and joys, but mostly challenges. Moreover, they need to think ahead before they start choosing their path.

For one semester, they tried to figure out some new insights both on and off campus. With the boost of motivation, they gained character-building and cognitive knowledge, which is important for 21st-century skills to succeed in today’s era. Critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration are skills that they acquire in SPD course, as well as internships outside of campus. Along with these skills, their personal growth also improved. They are aware that through these experiences, their professionalism will improve by expanding their communication and collaborative skills with each other in the workplace. Our study program, ELESP Sanata Dharma, gives several options for students in their 6th semester to intensify their edu-preneur skills; SPD (regular course where students will find clients and teach them English), Magang dan Studi Independen from Kampus Merdeka, and PBI internship collaboration (on 2023 the collaboration was between Discovery English-PBI and IONS-PBI). Whether students in SPD course or those who join internships, they also have policies and rules that must be followed to develop their disciplines. It is also part of a professional work environment where they learn and practice work in the real world.

Merry, one of the General Managers and also a President of. SPD, expressed her perceptions “SPD is one of the courses that is required to be taken by PBI students. In the last semester, several students didn’t take this course because they were doing an internship program. Because I didn’t take an internship program, choosing this course is a must thing to do.” She also stated that at first, she was desperately scared that she couldn’t survive. But at the end of the semester, she was able to survive SPD which has many rules, challenges, struggles, and assignments. She survives with Yel-Yel’s performance “Show Your Spark” as the core memory of SPD. Merry also gives a testimonial about SPD by quoting Taylor Swift “Long story short, it was a bad time. Long story short, I survived.”

While Ines, an IONS International Education Internship, stated. “As an intern student, I think Internship is pretty much the same as SPD. We also have policies and rules, one of which is operational hours. We have to come to the office at 9 o’clock and go home at 4 o’clock. We also have to dress properly.” She also said that she could expand her connections, meet a lot of people and alumni, have experiences that she thinks will be very useful for her career, and learn to be professional. But sometimes it is exhausting just sitting in a room with high-temperature AC as an internship.

Both choices, either internship or SPD, offer high benefits for enhancing students’ edu-preneur skills. The advantages and challenges obtained through Internship or SPD, increased their personal growth and 21st-century skills that include the 4 C’s (Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication). When personal growth improves, professional development will follow. As one of our alumni, Gabby, who joined the internship in Kampus Merdeka said “Being in an internship gives a spark of motivation for me to be an entrepreneur by being a content creator. Although being a worker is good, there are many things that you need to explore in your life and enhance your edu-preneur skills as ELESP alumni.”

Have you thought about what fields that suit you the most? SPD can be hell but internship can be the abyss. If you like daily challenges, increased discipline, and high dedication while surviving together alongside your friends, we’d say SPD will suit you well. However, if you are a lone ranger and would like to explore the working field outside the campus, you can try an internship! So, are you ready to face your 6th semester soon?

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” — Frederick Douglass


**RL,NSK,FTA

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