Proof That Internships Are Worthwhile

By Amanda Hill
Blog Content Contributor

How many of us are 100% confident in the career path we have chosen for ourselves?  I’ll be surprised if any of us can attest to that.  With so many different career paths out there, it can be overwhelming to figure out the best career for us.  It’s a good idea to try and experience the ones that interest us the most, and the most promising way to experience an occupation is through an internship.

We are all guilty of judging a book by its cover.  We gravitate towards the jobs with good benefits, appealing company culture and large salary.  These are all perks of maintaining a career, but our occupation should correlate with our values and fulfill us as individuals.  A harsh reality is many people spend time and money pursuing a career in college only to find themselves left displeased.  Internships allow a glimpse of what it is like on daily basis and an idea if you could spend your life doing that job.

Before deciding on which career is the best fit for you, it’s beneficial to develop a large network of professionals to help guide you through this process.  They can give insight to what they did to get where they are, obstacles they have come across, and their satisfaction with steps they took.  An internship opens the door to multiple influential connections in an area you are interested in pursuing.   

Internship experience is a huge differentiator when trying to land your dream job.  Employers are always searching for applicants that already obtain experience in that line of work.  Your experience with the company you interned with also leaves you with great selling points during your interview.  Discussing with an employer what you learned, what you improved, and what you took away from the internship will leave them more confident in your abilities as a potential hire.  As a new graduate, much of your competition for a job will be with those with only experience in the classroom.  They will not have the opportunity to talk about how they improved business practices, or a time they collaborated with other professionals to solve a problem specific to the company.  

For many, internships lead to full-time hire.  This will relieve pressure from finding your first ‘big kid’ job, because you will already have a compelling job lined up before finishing your course work as an undergrad.  If you choose not to stay with the company you interned with, acquiring letters of recommendation from the people you worked with is a great asset when searching for other opportunities.  

It all about differentiating yourself and assuring that the choices are making now are going to fulfill you through your career journey.  An internship is a small step that will reap many benefits.  Finding an internship may not always be easy, but will help you in the future more ways than one.