Home > Acceleration > Turning Heads

Turning Heads

CollegePlus! student Cody Robbins proves that internships can be easy to land when you're willing to work hard.


by Linnea Caswell

You may have heard the proverb, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” For Cody Robbins, a 16-year-old CollegePlus! student from Virginia, this truth became reality when he was offered an internship at The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research at the age of 14. While not one to speak of himself more highly than he ought, Cody can honestly say that his diligent hard work opened the door to profitable opportunities unusual for a student his age.

Beginnings

It all started when Cody’s mom talked her way through a lot of red tape and got 14-year-old Cody accepted into a 2-week program on computer networking – though the course was originally designed for high school juniors and seniors. Upon completing this program, self-motivated students could study on their own for about a year and take a national certification test in the computer networking area. Of the more than 40 students in the class, only Cody went on to study the extra material and take and pass exams to become a CISCO Certified Network Technician.

A Surprise Offer

Going above and beyond what was required separated Cody from the rest of the class, and is one reason The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research offered Cody an internship position last year while he was still 14 years old. “They had never had an intern under age 18 before,” Cody’s dad Brian explained.

Learning on the Job

During his one-year internship, Cody’s main project was designing and programming the website for Goodwill Industries of Danville. He got to meet with the director of Goodwill Industries and collaborate on design ideas, then do much of the actual programming. As part of the internship, he also videotaped conferences and organized distance learning classes.

Though the internship was a volunteer position, Cody gained an incredible amount of valuable experience. “I really learned XHTML [a programming language] during my internship,” Cody said. He also had a chance to see first-hand how his department worked together on research projects and to solve difficult problems. Due to the flexible, part-time nature of the internship, he did not neglect his normal homeschool high school work. Cody brought his books and studied during lunch break and on the ride to and from work. His dad adds jokingly, “At least that’s what he was supposed to do!”

Hard Work Brings Profit

Through Cody’s internship, he profited by gaining valuable skills, business connections, insight, and experience in computer programming and networking - an area he is planning to pursue as a career. Cody realized that the intangible benefits from the internship are often more valuable than money, at this point in his studies. He also saw that this work can be difficult, but “[the internship] encouraged him to say, ‘yes, I enjoy this,’” said Cody’s dad.

A Parent’s Perspective

We all need a little help trying new things, and parents of children in their early teens often need to be active in guiding their young people towards highly beneficial internship opportunities. “Always investigate [opportunities] and be your child’s advocate,” Brian said. Without Cody’s mom’s persistence in petitioning the Institute to accept a 14-year-old into the original 2-week program, the internship itself would never have been offered to Cody.

As an employer himself, Cody’s dad remarked that most job-seekers are more interested in getting paid than working hard. “They think we owe it to them,” he said. On the contrary, raising young people to enjoy work, to be courteous, well-disciplined, and diligent brings opportunities in the work force and beyond. About young people seeking internships, Cody’s dad says, “If they work hard, it opens doors for them.”

Linnea Caswell is a CollegePlus! graduate who earned a BA degree from Thomas Edison State College and a paralegal certificate from Oak Brook College of Law. She lives in Northwestern Illinois where she teaches piano lessons, helps her dad with legal research, and spends a lot of time with her family.

Discover more:

Learn about 3 opportunities you can take advantage of now!

Find out how CollegePlus! students are combining high school and college and are earning their degrees by age 18



0 comments so far - Leave a comment below

Note: Comments are manually approved by CollegePlus! before they appear. A valid email address is required, but will not be published with your comment.

Name:
Email:
Website: (optional)
Comment: