Working as an intern for an organization can provide numerous benefits to students who are attending college to pursue a specific career. Students can gain real-world experience in their chosen career field participating in an internship. Interning can also provide students with a way to earn money while gaining experience in a professional setting. Some internships, on the other hand, are unpaid and only provide college credit upon completion. An internship, whether paid or unpaid, is a valuable experience for any college student.
Internships allow students to put what they’ve learned in the classroom into practice. They get hands-on training and experience what it’s like to work in the field they’re learning about in school. While classroom knowledge is valuable, hands-on experience performing a specific job is just as valuable as experiences learned from a textbook.
Working as an intern at a company also provides an opportunity to see if a particular career is one that the intern is interested in pursuing. The student may decide that the career is not what she wants to do with her life after interning for the company. Even if she is unable to change her college major, she will recognize the importance of pursuing other internships that are more closely related to her post-college goals.
Interning during college allows students to network and form relationships with professionals in the industry they will eventually work in. Building professional relationships as an intern can assist the student in obtaining employment once she has completed her degree. As an intern, she will meet clients or coworkers who can be valuable resources during the job search for a recent graduate.
When a student works as an intern, she has the opportunity to impress the company that has given her the internship. Potential employers can observe a student’s work ethic, strengths, and abilities working in the organization on a daily basis. The intern can be evaluated the employer to see if she is a good fit for the company. If the student’s job performance is satisfactory, the employer may decide to hire her as a permanent employee after graduation.
Working as an intern gives a student the assurance that she will be better prepared to pursue a career in her field. Internships add value to a resume demonstrating to potential employers that a candidate has real-world experience performing a specific task. An internship provides students with concrete evidence that they are capable of performing a specific job, which is important because many professional positions require years of experience. Interning with a company gives a student the experience that a company is looking for.