By Craig Brinkerhoff
Staff Writer

Around this time of year, many seniors are planning to leave high school early. In place of a traditional fourth quarter, these seniors will complete a senior project or an internship.

Alex Casperson, a senior planning on completing an internship, will be working with Drive Tech.

Drive Tech, located in Acton, is a computer and server company that does everything from home computer building and installation, to repairing company servers. Working with small to medium size companies, they provide tailored IT solutions for businesses and homeowners.

“I will be taking part in these activities and building and repairing computers [and] servers,” said Casperson.

He was able to secure this internship through a friend who works at the company.  Many similar projects come to light because of an “in” at a business or institution.  Casperson met the worker he would be with and went from there.

“This is going to give me the experience I am looking for because it is exactly what I want to do when I get out of college,” said Casperson, who is planning on majoring in computer engineering.

Students see internships as a way to gain professional experience in a work field that interests them. Choosing this option, rather than staying in class, gives some students more opportunity.

To Casperson, an internship is vital experience in the work place.  Gaining this professional background while still in high school is something that he sees as integral to figuring out exactly what to do in college and beyond.  The independence is also attractive.

“A project is more independent [than school] and allows people to work on something of their choosing and be more independent,”  said Casperson.

Despite these positives for gaining experience before heading to a college or university, some students find ways to abuse the power that comes with independence and not being at school. They have been known to skimp out on work or purposefully choose simple internships as a way to leave class.  Casperson does not agree with this.

“Personally, I did it to get the experience. I think that it’s a great opportunity for people to get experience in the field that they are going into. If people are doing it to get out of class, they are wasting the opportunity,” he said.

In the end, Casperson believes that his internship experience will be interesting at the least.

“I believe it will be very successful and I am very excited,” he said.