K-State College of Agriculture -- An Inside View

Traveling the “Golden” Countryside “Harvesting” Invaluable Experiences

   
This summer, I had the opportunity to intern with Golden Harvest Seeds, a seed company that sells corn, soybeans and alfalfa for field crops.   Its main focus, however, is not selling seed but educating the consumer about their products and helping them make better decisions to improve their operation.  Golden Harvest is located in Waterloo, Nebraska, which is just outside Omaha.
     I began my summer and my internship experience by moving to Omaha on May 15, 2007.  The first few days on the job included training and orientation.  I learned about the company, what I would be doing all summer, and the products Golden Harvest provides to its customers.  I was also informed about my summer project.
    While I was doing this internship I traveled across the Midwest and met with several farmers.  I helped plant test plots in Illinois, assisted with a few plot days in northeast Nebraska, and traveled to Ohio for two weeks to do dealer recruiting.  I learned an immense amount of information over the course of the summer, and enhanced my communication skills. I was able to network and meet a lot of people and gained knowledge about agronomy and the sales industry.  On the last day of my internship, I gave my summer project presentation to a group of sales and marketing leaders in the company. 
    This internship was awesome! I recommend doing at least one while you are in college.  Interning allows you to determine if you are a good fit in the chosen industry, and future employers also want to see an internship experience on your resume. This internship provided me with insight about corporate agriculture and allowed me to determine if sales is the right path for me.  These things were goals of mine before I left for Omaha, and I’m glad I was able to accomplish them.

~Melissa

Part-Time Jobs

Many college students look to obtain additional knowledge and career skills by working part time while going to school. At K-State and around Manhattan there are many different part time job opportunities. These jobs are categorized into two categories, on and off campus.

Many students are employed by Kansas State University. On campus jobs can vary from a lab assistant, doing research for extension personnel, working at one of the livestock units, being an administrative assistant, working for Housing and Dinning. Andy Stickel, junior in Animal Sciences and Industries, works under graduate students doing research in ruminant nutrition. Last spring he spent many hours working side by side with a graduate student gathering information on protein synthesis and degradation based on muscle biopsies at the beef unit. Other students work for various administrative offices within the College of Agriculture answering phone calls, compiling data, and running various errands. The opportunities are endless when looking for an on campus job.

Students also take advantage of being in a prosperous town and work at various Manhattan businesses. Off campus jobs also vary greatly from working at a restaurant, being a teller at a bank, an office assistant at a lending or law firm, cashier at a retail store, or farm hand on a local farm. Morgan Gauby, junior in Agribusiness, works at the Farm Service Agency office assisting with paperwork to secure government money for various offices across Kansas. Phil White, senior in Agriculture Communications, works at a radio station announcing the late Friday traffic reports. These off campus jobs are just a few examples of opportunities that offer essential job skills for future careers.

One may be wondering how students like these obtained such great learning opportunities outside the classroom. There are several ways students learn about potential job opportunities. The first is K-State offers a job fair at the beginning of the fall semester that brings in many on and off campus employers to campus to recruit students. Also, your academic advisor is a great start to getting ideas of potential jobs or places to look for jobs in your interest area. Finally, the KSU student newspaper, Collegian, and departmental postings are also great places to find a job. Although a job is not a required part of a students curriculum, it is a great way to gain knowledge and skills and earn a little extra cash!

Go Cats,

Kristen