If you’re in college, you’ve probably heard everyone telling you that you have to work an internship before you graduate. There’s good reason for this! Internships provide you with opportunities to learn about your industry outside the traditional classroom setting. The real world experience you receive in an internship can end up much more applicable to your career than the theory that you learn in school.
If you want to work an internship, but you aren’t sure where to start, start with your “why”. What are you hoping to get out of the experience? What organization would you like to work for? Are there any specific skills you want to learn? The following 5 reasons to work an internship can help you narrow down where you want to work and what you want to do.
1. Provides You with Real Industry Experience
Most importantly, internships provide you with real industry experience that you won’t get in the classroom at school. While you may complete some group projects in your classes, a good internship will give you relevant projects to work on with a real team of professionals.
When looking for an internship, don’t forget to ask the hiring manager what potential projects you will work on during your job assignment. These projects will give you great experience to add to your resume and to discuss in future job interviews, and they’ll also be the first building blocks to the beginning of your career. Success in these projects will boost your confidence for future job assignments, too!
2. Increases Your Chances to Find a Full Time Job
Having an internship considerably helps you find a full time job after you graduate. First and foremost, the company you intern with is likely to give you a full time offer after you finish your job assignment. Your internship can be thought of as a multi-month job interview. The organization you’re working for is investing their time and resources into training you, so it’s to their benefit to hire you if you perform well during your internship!
Having an internship will also boost your chances of finding another internship if you’re still in school, too. Companies love to see relevant industry experience on your resume and job applications, so any work experience you have from prior internships will only help in finding your next one.
3. Gives You a Chance to Explore Different Careers
One of the best parts of an internship is that it’s a short, condensed version of a full time job. Depending on when you start looking for an internship, you could potentially work at multiple different companies and explore several industries while still in school! This allows you to explore different career options before you graduate.
Working across multiple industries during your college career will make you a better-rounded candidate for future job opportunities as well. A wide breadth of experiences gives you a different perspective than candidates that have only worked in one industry. This can also give you an advantage for future job opportunities as well.
4. Exposes You to Corporate Culture
One experience you will definitely not get in the classroom is corporate culture. Do teams tend to work in silos, or is the company well integrated? What’s the coffee culture? What’s the best way to communicate with coworkers? These are questions you will only be able to answer after working in an organization in your industry.
Corporate culture greatly depends on the company you work for. Is it a small business or large corporation? Do people tend to stay late or come in early (hopefully not both!)? What’s the dress code like? There are so many nuances to each work place out there, but working an internship can give insight on what you industry’s culture is like.
5. Expands Your Network
Expanding your network can be difficult when you’re still in school. Unless you’re involved in professional organizations or with your school’s career center, it can be challenging to meet people in your industry to connect with.
Working an internship allows you to meet contacts and really relate to them over your industry. Since internships tend to span a few months, you also have the opportunity to find industry mentors that you don’t have access to in school. The connections you make at your internship can really aid in finding your next job opportunity, so don’t shy away from any happy hours or other networking events that your job may host!
There are many benefits to working an internship. Beyond giving you confidence and the opportunity to explore different job roles, they increase your chances for new job opportunities and expanding your network. You could even find a mentor, too! Don’t forget to think about these 5 benefits when you’re searching for your first (or next) internship.
