Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Of course, you could give me the super scientific answer here, but for most, this is a conundrum. For many, this is much like trying to go after your first entry level job only to be told you don’t have any experience. So how do you gain experience without already first having had experience? A conundrum, indeed.
This is where internships come into play. An internship can provide students with hands-on experiences that can compliment their academic knowledge. Internships can vary greatly when it comes to duration, compensation, and responsibilities. Internships are intended to provide a learning experience in a specific field over a temporary or short duration and should involve entry-level tasking that allows them to contribute to the organization while building much needed skills in order to continue on in their chosen career path. In addition to industry specific skills, the internship should also provide training in basic career skills such as communication, problem solving, teamwork, initiative, professionalism, work ethic, etc. This initial job experience is essential to kick starting any career.
While gaining relevant job experience is the top reason for taking an internship, there are some other really important reasons to look for a quality internship to build a strong foundation while starting down your desired career path. Great internships can allow you to do the following:
- Network with other professionals
- Explore career paths within your industry
- Enhance your resume
- Gain competitive edge in job market
- Give you confidence
- Receive potential job offers
- Gain industry insights
Though internships are very important and useful, according to a study done this year by GALLUP, only 41% of students have an internship while enrolled in college1. Among the top reasons for not having internships, students said it is both hard to find and hard to get internships. InnovateConnect wants to change this. Click here to see how you can get involved.
- Four in 10 College Students Have Had Internship Experience, retrieved from Gallup
https://www.gallup.com/education/509468/four-college-students-internship-experience.aspx ↩︎