internships in the Digital Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0
Old
vs new age
how to read this section
Most parents, students and teachers need to understand the new world that we live in. The Industry, the rules, the jobs of the future, how we study, how the future will look like – everything has changed. So is College admission and also Internships. This section addresses all those elements. We are all at a critical juncture in time where a New World will emerge. One needs understand the winds of change and take action. One cannot change the wind – but one needs to adjust the sails.
internship models have changed
In the post-COVID era, millions of businesses have closed shop because they are not relevant to the times we are in. Many colleges and educational institutions have closed too! However MIT/Harvard/ Top Schools have record applicants. Amazon/Apple/Tesla have tripled their profits and currently Bitcoin is 10x the price from what it was in the last year. If you don’t shift your thinking…the current generation of students will turn out as what Economists say – “A Lost Generation”.
Internships :
Paradox
Employer Paradox:
99% students don’t land an Internship that either helps them learn something that matters to their future, or provides them the mentorship needed to have the “Internship Experience”. If you have had both – you are among the 0.01%. Exceptions always prove the rule.
Now add the COVID situation. Even if there is an internship, it will have to be “digital” or digital technology based.
Why would companies and people invest their time on helping students “Intern” when all businesses are either busy, on survival mode and in uncertain times? Even if they help out – what is their gain to help out a student when the student hardly has anything to give back? They spend over $1000/month/student for initiatives like this.
Parent Paradox:
Parents are concerned, they are scared about the current situation, they are concerned about their own jobs, their own future, the student’s future, financial future, and the list goes on! We are all going through trying times.
On the other hand parents also want the best of the student. Many parents badly want the student to do something different, be engaged, get out of boredom, take action from their schedule of video games and movies and etc. They just want the student to be engaged in something different and they frantically search out Internships. Few parents also think, every burden of the internship should be on the internship provider or a kind of baby sitting organization – the world has changed to team work work!
Industry Paradox
We are in the Fourth Industrial Revolution – and this is important for everyone to understand. Every aspect of our life is ruled by technology – try not using your phone or your apps for a day and see how it feels?
Companies do not have the time or the energy to invest on high school students without an expectation of a return. High School students who have no skills, aren’t free labor. It is the other way round really – training high school students and mentoring them is expensive and needs dedicated professionals who are chargeable as skills today are expensive. Yes, students can do an internship with low end non-digital labor intensive places, but do students want that?
Student Paradox
Students of today are different. Generational gaps are real. They way they perceive things, and the way to do things are way different. Most parents compare their lives to their student years – and that is a mistake.
They are very concerned about their own situation. They see student suicide, they see the world as nothing they can do to impact the situation, they do not find meaning in usual online schools and education – and now an internship that has no meaning, no relevance, no growth, nothing to help their future… just to be out of the doldrums as a refuge from their everyday life? Just doing research for someone, or helping out someone and anything that is not intellectually stimulating will have no meaning at all.
Only Way Out Of A Paradox :
Is To Create A New Model Of Reference That Works!
Old Model vs New Model: A Comparison
Check out the comparison. If this works for you and the student has interest and ambition – please apply by going through the Student Assessment Application. Our website is extremely detailed, we have no intent in making money out of the program and as we have outlined – Internships are free of charge, Mentorship/Coaching is not. Please visit the “Cost” page for details. Please note – we will not select every student that comes our way. We look for specific qualities, passion, compassion, leading from the heart, and other important human qualities. We want this Internship experience to be the differentiating factor to make a difference in the world, and also for the student to pivot into the top/dream schools they aspire to go to and their personal and professional dreams of the future. Thank you for understanding our philosophy!
Comparison :
Old vs Our Model
TIME/DURATION
OLD MODEL
Usually very short. 7 Days, perhaps 14 days or a month maximum? Most of these Internships are eyewash, but some are really great! You perhaps go there for the brand of a University or a Summer Program, but our feedback from students has been – it is a waste of time, or my parents paid for it, or I had nothing else in my hand but this!
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Anything worth doing, is worth spending time on. Depending on the interest – one month is really short, 3 months is a decent learning experience, 6 months a good enough time.
The way we see it is – invest 1 hour a day for a stretch of time. Learning and doing is a discipline we take students through
location/state/country
OLD MODEL
Old age Internships are typically location dependent. You have to be at place, have your transport, spend a lot of time traveling etc etc. Or you could be in a different country as well.
OUR MODEL (NEW)
We are in the Digital Age. Where you live physically, your country, city etc doesn’t matter. Plug in your laptop and Zoom up. Our Internships transcend time and space and thus a true democracy.
season ( summer/winter/rain/shine)
OLD MODEL
Imagine waiting for Summer Internships or Winter Break Internships, or Spring Break or whatever break – does it really need to happen this way?
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Let us break that model and make it digital – that doesn’t have seasons, truly democratized, accessible, equal, available – now can we get students marching towards the Industrial Revolution everyday!
RELEVANCE
OLD MODEL
Usually there is a prescribed syllabus, just like school, you have to follow the steps, you have a stipulated time and you need to get things done. You build some models, interact with like minded peers, some group think activities if you are lucky!
OUR MODEL (NEW)
We fit around the needs of the student – and the student dictates what they want to do in life. The student is at the center, we build the project around the need of the student and we mentor/coach them until they are proficient.
critical reasoning vs critical thinking
OLD MODEL
SAT/ACT are standard tests because they are based on standards. Most internships are just like that – standard learning. The basic premise is – Critical Reasoning! The old world is all about being at the same level, same bar, same horizon!
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our model is about Critical Thinking, using the Trivium model. All Ivy Leagues and Top Schools use this model as it creates uniqueness and diverse perspectives of thought. This is what Harvard Business School teaches – be unique, be you!
Assessment of who you are
OLD MODEL
Assess who you are? Never! Here is what I have got, you just follow what we have. Just follow, learn and leave. We will provide you with instructions. We don’t care if you have interest in it – just follow it.
OUR MODEL (NEW)
We invest a lot of time understanding who you are. We want to know what your dreams are and what you want to be. You decide where you want to go and we will help you get there.
Fake Value vs Authentic Value
OLD MODEL
We have seen a lot of interns in companies, haven’t we? Most of the interns are just there to show the face, be glorified assistants and sometimes offer tea, coffee and do the work of a glorified personal assistant. Who has the time and energy to build someone?
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our Internships are very serious. We look at you as a leader and hope for the future. We dedicate our busy time to help you dream big and act accordingly. We treat you as equals and love to take responsibility and will inspire you to follow your path. We have all the energy!
Surface/Superficial vs in-depth
OLD MODEL
Conventional Internships are very superficial when it comes to learning. It is good to a certain extent when it comes to learning something new, but then it ends there. After sometime it is all about “do what you please – our show and tell has ended”
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our model is not show and tell – our model is roll up your sleeves and let us solve problems so create something new, impact communities and make a difference in the lives of everyone. No show and tell – Act now and make it happen.
Learning vs applied knowledge
OLD MODEL
Internships were previously designed to pass on skills or create new skills. That was when Henry Ford desperately wanted workers, and the industry still does, but wants commitment to join the organization in exchange of training. High School students can not contribute to the organization, so the organizations commitment to teach high-school students is albeit negligible. Internships, even if they exist are about learning something and they are available on Youtube
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our model is different. Learn as you go, learn while you face the problem, learn to fail and get back up and understand why you failed, re-learn and acquire the new knowledge and apply it back into the problem you want to solve. Everything is a hands-on activity, you are as good as the outcome. It is your dream, it is your goal, your invention and your creation – we are there to take you through the process step-by-step as if you are working for your own company.
no commitment vs total commitment
OLD MODEL
The Old Internship model stakeholder is the employer or the organization conducting the Internship. Since High School students have nothing to give back, they will lose their commitment and interest over time. It’s human nature and laws of power!
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our model is a unique model where the High School student is the “stakeholder”. It is their project ( though we design it ), it is their dreams, it is their passion, it is all about their success being our success, it is their resume. They have everything to gain and a lot to lose!
Low end vs high end
OLD MODEL
Show us one High School student Internship that was high-end? Most of them sadly are very, very low end that really bore students to death. The usual Internships are – do some research, do some website development, do some writing etc
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our model is futuristic and exactly what you need and what dream schools look for in you. Why would we even think of doing an Internship, training you to be successful and then later see that you have no need for it? Future continuity is a must!
No mentor vs dedicated mentors
OLD MODEL
Typically in High School Internships you really don’t find a dedicated mentor. It is expensive to have dedicated mentors and employers cannot afford those kind of costs – because it becomes a sunk cost and thus an expense.
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our model although chargeable, has dedicated mentors from the Industry, mostly from Harvard Business School and Ivy Leagues who have great careers, but passionate about helping students. To them it is about building leaders.
No differentiator vs Standing Out
OLD MODEL
Typically High School Internships don’t create a differentiating factor for the student – because of the quality and the short period of time involved. It is difficult to create something that will earn kudos from the Industry or those who would care.
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our model is all about “differentiating” oneself with a project based Internship. It is about innovating and about creating impact for a cause you are passionate about. Let your passion show and take on wings. Thats what gets noticed.
Career irrelevant vs Career relevant
OLD MODEL
Most High School Internships aren’t career relevant. Doing business research on Astronomy data for the experience of it is great, but won’t help if you want to study Accounting. College Admissions will look at you as a person who doesn’t know what to do in life. They know that you were just checking off a component, not really pursuing something that matters to you. Top Schools don’t like “dabblers”.
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our model is just the opposite. If you are passionate about something or want to major in a subject – let your passion show by doing a relevant project, specifically that is aligned with your Majors. That shows you deeply care about something. You are serious, you are not an all rounder, you are not a dabbler. If you deeply care about something – here is your chance to show it. Be Relevant!
No Networking vs dedicated Networking
OLD MODEL
Most Internships don’t have the possibility of networking with people in power in the Industry. Whereas the whole Industry revolves on “Who Do You Know”.
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our model revolves around people with power in the Industry. They want a way to impact the next generation and are always looking for innovative and star performers.
No presentation vs prepare to present / interview
OLD MODEL
High School Internships hardly provide the opportunity for the student to present to a relevant audience or face real life interviews. As College Admission Officers start interviewing students to find the right student – not being able to get good at these two items is a recipe for disaster.
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our Internship model is built on Communication, Interviews and building these skills. Outreach into the Industry is a must. It is an uncomfortable process, but the student gets used to this with practice. This is the way we prepare the student day in-day out.
No Recommendation vs detailed Recommendation
OLD MODEL
Typically Internships may provide you with a certificate of completion, but that really is not enough to create a credential. The value is low. There is nothing unique or differentiating about it. While it may give you a little bit of peace of mind and hope, admissions professionals don’t find it intriguing.
OUR MODEL (NEW)
Our model is all about connecting and presenting to the Industry and building relationships. These are priceless possibilities. These are the opportunities to build credibility with your innovation resulting in recommendations that stand out during the admission process.
forget everything – do something exciting
OLD MODEL
Are you excited about any Internship? Will any do? Just any? During the COVID scenario people are depressed and demotivated, do you want to do the same old traditional things – that really don’t earn you a credential and is a waste of time!
OUR MODEL (NEW)
The only thing we/you have is TIME. What you do with it decides nearly everything in life. Do you want to coast, or do you want to cruise? Do SOMETHING EXCITING. That’s what we are here for! We are stalwarts in our field, but we are passionate about helping you! We will help you.
School of Internships: The Internship Model of the Future
We can provide a thousand reasons, but it doesn’t matter at the end until YOU believe in the model. One day what we are doing will be the standard for all colleges and the Industry. The model is hard to ignore and we have success after success to prove for years! The world needs an Internship company to help High School students. We are the only company that is dedicated towards this space and that is because it takes effort and passion from our side to deliver exceptional quality and thus results. Big things have humble beginnings.
Projects We Do
These are some of the projects our students build that gets them over to the Top Schools/Ivy Leagues
Details
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Internships you will love
AS A PARENT OR STUDENT OR SCHOOL - WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?
School of Internships
We suggest the following action based on the Links below. Or contact us using the form below. Thank you for browsing the site and supporting the students future.
"I want to know the Programs available and the Internships that can help the student?"
“Why do you charge for Internships and what are the costs involved?”
“This is a new Program, why should I participate? Who are you all?”
“How does the Internship run, the processes, and how do you deliver value for the cost”
Get In Touch
(978) 674-55 ZERO FOUR (USA#)
Location
Project Starfish America
181 Market St, Lowell, MA
internships at pstarfish dot org ( format guards spams )
Hours
We are 100% global/virtual spanning multiple countries, but if you have a query, we usually answer in a day or two.