The semester is finally over! While it can be tempting to bum out and live at the beach for the next three months, using your time more strategically will help you more in the long run. Whether you are a freshman or a graduating senior, internships provide great benefits to students looking to jump-start their careers towards their dream jobs.
Gain Exposure
The clearest benefit of obtaining at least one internship is that you’ll gain exposure to the field you think you are interested in pursuing. Some internships are more hands-on where you can apply knowledge learned in the classroom to actual scenarios while others may be in a more supporting or administrative role within a company. Regardless of the actual tasks of your particular internship, you will be in a position to ask your coworkers what the industry is truly like from a real-world perspective. This may also help you decide if this field is even the right choice for you, and you can save years of costs associated with obtaining the wrong degree for your personal strengths and likings.
Flexibility and Experience
Many full-time positions require some form of prior work experience. Companies hiring interns know they are likely still in school so they can be flexible and understanding of priorities while still providing students the opportunity to add tangible work accomplishments to include on their resumes or samples that can be included in a professional portfolio.
Conversion to Full-Time Role
Companies often give their interns job offers after they graduate school because they have seen firsthand the quality of their work and have already invested time in recruiting qualified students. Even if there are no fulltime positions available at the completion of your internship, you will still have gained contacts in your field to network with that can help give you an edge in looking for unadvertised job opportunities at other companies. Your supervisor and coworkers can also be the ideal source for references or letters of recommendations for future employment opportunities after seeing your on-the-job performance.
Meet Fellow Young Professionals
One of my personal favorite parts of having an internship is meeting other people around my age who all have similar professional goals. Coming from diverse backgrounds, it’s interesting to gain a new perspective from them. Going through an internship program together also adds another layer to bond over, and after-work social events are always fun. These peers can be beneficial in your professional network long after your internship is over as well.
It is clear that internships are necessary to help you succeed, but obtaining one can be hard as they tend to be competitive. Your first internship may even end being unpaid, but don’t count that experience out. Unpaid internships can be just as valuable as paid ones if you take them seriously and learn as much as possible. While summer internships typically fill up well before May and June, it is never too late to start the process. Work on perfecting your resume and hone in on your interviewing skills early to give you a leg up going forward. If you need help with any of those tasks, or need assistance finding an internship in general, get in touch with your specific department as well as the Career Development Center on campus, which is located on the third floor of the Public Square. You are well on your way towards success!