The beauty of college would be the fact that this time is indeed perfect for exploration. You get to find yourself and truly discover what exactly it is that you’re wanting. While academic pursuits are undoubtedly important, there’s another essential aspect of higher education that every college student should seriously consider: internships. So, for a lot of people, there are two ways an internship can go; it can immediately be seen as something impressive or could even leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth. This stigma that internships have is complicated, but of course, it depends on what the internship actually provides, the company, if it’s abroad with the help of internship programs, and so on.
But overall, you need experience in order to get a job, but you need a job to get experience. Internships are there to break that because you don’t really need experience; you’re not expected to have it, only expected to gain it during the time of the internship. So, with that said, here’s why all college students should try and consider getting an internship.
Gives You Real World Experience
While a lot of students try to focus solely on scholarships for college, you need to focus on finding a good internship, too, as they give you the real-world experience you’re going to need to actually thrive. Unlike classroom learning, internships immerse you in the actual work environment, allowing you to apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations. This hands-on experience can provide invaluable insights and a deeper understanding of your field. Overall, you need to keep in mind that the internship has to actually give you experience, and it can’t be just a nice name on a resume. It could be a Fortune 500 company, but if the only you’re doing is getting people coffee and taking lunch orders, then you can basically count on this hurting you more than actually helping.
Industry Network Exposure
Nowadays, more people want to become known in their industry, as it’s a nice way to build and boost a brand. But you need to keep in mind that it’s more than just a bunch of LinkedIn posts and professional pictures of yourself; you need to actually be known. You need top people to know who you are. You can rely on internships to help out with that.
Can Help Realign Career Goals
For many college students, choosing a career path can be a daunting task. Internships allow you to test the waters, trying out different roles within your field of interest. This firsthand experience can help you clarify your career goals and decide which path is the best fit for you. You seriously have to keep in mind that students change their major a lot; even right in the middle of their career, they’ll just stop working on what they’ve been doing because of how big the distaste and burnout are from it. So, this is an internship as a way of dipping your toes before you actually take the dive.
