Internships are one of the most valuable resources that you can use in your undergraduate career. If you are like me and chose a broad major (business, communication, etc.), you can often find yourself wondering what you’ll do with your degree. Will you be a spokesperson for a global brand? Will you be a consultant for a big company? What will you do? Internships are a great way to get some out of the classroom experience. I have completed 5 internships (soon to be 6) in my undergrad career, and can’t recommend them enough. Wondering what lessons you might learn as an intern? Here’s what I discovered:
Figure out Your Postgrad Career
I’ve done internships in many different sectors such as government, energy, private communications and political campaigns. These internships were great because they helped me narrow down what I wanted to really do once I graduated. I figured out government and energy were definitely not my thing. Communications might be interesting, depending on the client and type of work. Political campaigns are fast-paced, crazy, yet interesting. By trying out internships in all different sectors, you can narrow down the world of possibilities that you are confronted with and find what you truly want to do. This helps dilute the stressful and overwhelming experience that can be finding a job after graduation.
Work with People of all Backgrounds
Internships are great for teaching you to work with people of all different backgrounds. In class, we mainly work with people our age or our friends. When you have an internship, it is very different; you work with people from different parts of the country/province/world, different ages or different educational backgrounds. In all of my internships, I worked with people who were all older than me by at least 10 years and had come from different educational backgrounds (some in engineering, some in business, etc.). I not only gained better people skills, but I also learned a lot about different views and ideas that come from collaborative work with other people.
Find Your Strengths
I found my strengths more through working than I did through my classes. In classes, I knew that I took good notes and always met deadlines. When working, I discovered some of my other strengths. I am able to stay organized and on top of work such as weekly reports and special projects. I am able to pitch creative ideas for social media or outreach that my other coworkers may not have thought about. I am able to speak with others in a way that is respectful and professional. When you are working at your internship, you discover strengths that are not necessarily just pen and paper. You may discover that you are a great, on-the-spot presenter or that you can find new clients.
Connections are More Valuable Than Ever
This last one I cannot stress enough. Connections you make at your internship will be some of the most valuable connections that you make. You may be able to find another internship from your connection, a new client when you enter the workforce, or a mentor. My connections have helped me find other internship positions that I would not have found without them. You never know where a simple connection you make at a meeting or in the office make take you!
Good luck to everyone who is completing internships or will be in the future. You never know where it will take you!