From the time students enter college, it is ingrained into our brains: You need to get an internship if you want to land a job.
Of course, there are numerous benefits that obtaining an internship can provide, such as networking opportunities, resume line items that you can show off to future hiring managers, and hands-on experience in the field to help you decide if it’s really the path for you (because studying the subject and actively working a job in it are two completely different things). While internships are common during the fall and spring semesters, an ideal option for many college students is to land a summer internship. This way, students can fully focus on their work without having to juggle as much school stuff at the same time.
Because of how commonplace summer internships have become, one might think an internship is the only way a student can gain experience and prove their worth as an applicant for future jobs. However, that is actually not the case. With the U.S. facing a fluctuating economy (including the rise of inflation and cost of living, plus a lackluster hiring market), the feeling of security that internships once provided — or at least we were told they would provide — is much harder to find. In fact, many ambitious students are making a conscious choice to opt out of the summer internship experience altogether.
“While more than two-thirds of Gen Z said they had plans to look for a new job this year (more than any other generation), half said the job search has become harder in the last year,” Catherine Fisher, LinkedIn Career Expert and Vice President of Integrated Consumer Communications, tells Her Campus. “[Because of this], we could see more job seekers pursuing nontraditional paths they might not have envisioned before, or changing how they spend their summers — skipping the summer internship to instead focus on their own passion projects, prioritize a longer-term position, or spend time skill stockpiling to get ready for a job search where in-demand skills are key to standing out.”
So, what exactly are these internship-less Gen Zers doing instead? And do they feel like they’re missing out on a crucial part of college life… or gaining invaluable experiences they’d otherwise not get? Here’s what they have to say.
They’re working for themselves.
In a 2022 survey from Intelligent.com, 17% of 2022 grads operated their own business. That means they have way less time for — or interest in — interning for someone else.
“My plans for the summer involve running Culture Shift, a company I founded,” Jaychele Schenck, entrepreneur and Bentley University student tells Her Campus. “I’ve always been a builder — from participating in student organizations to being the boss of my own brand, I’ve built things from scratch that didn’t exist before me. So when internship opportunities didn’t pan out the way I hoped … I knew that I could use this time to create something that would align with my values and goals.”
Simply put, Schenck didn’t want to resign herself to a role she wasn’t excited about. “Choosing to not take an internship wasn’t about lack of ambition. I actually had two internship offers I could’ve taken, but I didn’t want to settle for less than I deserved,” she says. “It was about choosing to ride in my own lane instead of waiting for a seat at someone else’s table.”
They’re prioritizing paid gigs.
Although unpaid internships are becoming less common, many internships remain unpaid — or if they do pay, the pay is often low. For many college students who are juggling things like tuition, bills, and other college life expenses, this is just not feasible.
“I chose not to pursue an internship [over the summer] because I had done two internships in my last semesters of college,” Jocelyn Nieto, a recent grad from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says. “Both times I gained a lot of experience, [but] it took a lot of time to juggle an internship and my coursework. I knew for the summer, I wanted a break. Plus, the internships were unpaid, which became a hassle toward the difficult parts of the semester — this was something I could no longer afford as I was getting out of college.” Instead, she’s taking this summer to work on an application for a paid job that begins in August.
They’re taking summer classes.
Of course, you can’t forget the fact that these internship-less students are, first and foremost, students. Another reason for why an ambitious student may forgo a summer internship is because they’re instead focused on taking summer classes — which can be quite time-consuming. These courses are often accelerated and condensed, since they can take place over a four- or five-week period instead of a regular 16-week semester.
These courses can be taken for a variety of reasons — whether it’s because a student switched majors or failed a class (it happens!) and needs to make up credit hours, or because they’re trying to accelerate their college career. “I want to focus on completing some mandatory courses this summer to get ahead of my courseload, and potentially graduate a semester early,” says Trina Bernal, a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. For Bernal, skipping an internship this summer may make it easier to have an internship later on down the road. “I want to start interning as soon as next summer, so I decided to frontload my last foundational accounting class this summer, to then take an upper-division accounting class this fall. I understand from talking with my advisor, peers, and accounting mentor that this will set me up to successfully receive internship offers, even as a sophomore.”
They’re enjoying themselves — which, yes, is still productive.
ICYMI, work-life balance is a huge priority for Gen Z. According to a 2025 Deloitte survey, 17% of Gen Zs listed maintaining a good work-life balance as their No. 1 career goal, above things like achieving financial independence and achieving job stability and security. This also translates to many Gen Zers’ attitudes toward their summer plans. “The skills I’m gaining this summer would be self-care, understanding, relaxation, and becoming self-driven,” Nieto says. “I’m keeping busy, making sure I get my personal goals accomplished, and also take care of myself! This will help me for my future job search because I will be able to be comfortable sitting in the quiet moments, rather than constantly needing to be busy. This is important for a healthy work-life balance.”
Summer also offers many students the opportunity to broaden their horizons with travel. Jessica Gomez, a recent Emerson College grad and aspiring professional writer, says she chose not to pursue summer internships for this very reason. Instead, she’s using the time to visit different countries, and picked up a temporary waitressing job to help with expenses. But that doesn’t mean she’s not making steps toward her career. “Before going to Athens and Lisbon, we began our trip on an island in Greece called Thassos, where my close family friend helps run a writing workshop for students,” she says. “Although I did not officially participate in the course, I definitely got some writing done and was able to bounce ideas off of incredible writers, attend readings, and just overall get inspired. I know it sounds corny or perhaps avoidant to say I traveled to get inspired, but writing is half knowing how to write (which my college education gave me), and half knowing why to write. Life has to be lived!”
But are internship-less summers holding Gen Zers back in their careers?
All of the above — and more — are valid reasons for not having a summer internship. But the question remains: Is this internship gap on a resume a red flag to hiring managers? The truth is that it can be, but it doesn’t have to be.
Beth Hendler-Grunt, founder of the career counseling service Next Great Step, which specializes in helping college students and recent grads, explains that without context, a lack of internship experience could raise some concern. But if a student uses that time proactively — to take a course, build a portfolio, volunteer, and so forth — then it can absolutely be seen as a positive thing.
“Hiring managers value results, not titles,” Hendler-Grunt says. “One client [of Next Great Step] created a social media strategy for a local nonprofit that boosted their engagement by 50%. Another edited videos for a YouTube channel with 10,000 subscribers. Neither experience was labeled ‘internship,’ but both showed clear, real-world value. One student launched a tutoring business for high schoolers prepping for the SAT and generated over $5,000 in revenue. Another built an Etsy store selling digital art prints. These efforts show initiative, time management, marketing, and problem-solving — all things employers want.”
Hendler-Grunt emphasizes that it’s all about how you can translate what you learned or gained from your summer experience in the job application and interview process. “If a student can articulate what they accomplished, whether in a volunteer role or a self-led project, that can be just as powerful as a formal internship,” she says. “One student didn’t have a formal internship but completed two Coursera certifications in data analysis and created dashboards for a family business. He showcased that in interviews and landed a role in consulting … It’s showing that you did something useful with your time to gain skills.”
You can demonstrate this to future employers in your resume, cover letter, and interview — or, if applicable, in a more creative format, like a digital portfolio that showcases everything you did during your internship-less summer. Let your results and accomplishments do the talking. “My digital portfolio is designed to walk people through the work — the strategy decks, the brand transformations, and the infrastructure I’ve helped build,” Schenck says. “Whether it’s through my website or my social presence, I know how to frame my work in a way that tells a story and shows real value. Because at the end of the day, I’m not just building deliverables — I’m building proof of concept for the kind of work I want to do in the world.”
Gen Z is known as a group that, somehow, manages to find our own way, leave an impact, and go against the status quo — and now, that includes the ways in which we build our experience and prepare for our careers. Whether it’s starting a business, growing a following online, or simply learning through living, these Gen Zers are showing that you can, in fact, have a productive, international, and internship-less summer.