A college student’s guide to internships
About the author
Hi there. I am the prolific professor with 15 years of experience teaching online and in-person. I have a graduate degree. I have a passion for education. But I’ve also worked in the professional world (outside of education) too. Thanks for visiting.
Are internships for college students worth it?
An internship during your college years may be worth it if your prospective employers think highly of candidates who completed an internship. Regardless, college internships offer students the opportunity to learn practical skills employers are looking for in candidates. The internships can also expose you to future career paths, help you network, and may even lead to a full-time position after graduation. Some colleges even offer students course credit for completing an internship. So, yes, an internship can be worth it for college students, but try and seek a paid internship although they can be more selective.
Okay, let’s talk about internships and why they are so important for college students.
You’re probably hearing a lot of chatter on campus about internships.
And now you’re wondering If you should complete one.
But you’ve got a lot to think about because most are unpaid and you just aren’t sure if you can spend valuable time, without pay, working at an internship.
You should understand that internships are helpful for students to network, gain insight into their field, and learn from REAL professionals.
What am amazing opportunity, am I right?
You might be hesitant.
Is it really worth it to complete an internship?
I am going to give you the details you need to figure out if an internship is all it’s made out to be. You can then weigh the pros and cons and figure out if it’s right for you.
What is an internship?
An internship is going to be an unpaid or paid opportunity for a college student to experience their career field by working in their industry. The student usually works part-time and in their respective field. The student typically does entry-level tasks while gaining specific knowledge from professionals about their future careers.
When you’re thinking about an internship, you need to know a few things.
You should really spend time looking for internships in your field. Unless you’re getting paid for an internship, it isn’t going to be worth it to work in a career unrelated to your dream job.
The purpose of most internships is to help students get some experience in their future careers, meet people, and learn more about their career path.
If you waste time working an internship in a career you aren’t interested in, and won’t apply for a full-time job later, it probably won’t help you much.
I mean, it can help you build your resume, but really, you should be focusing on internships in your career field.
Your job duties will probably be very entry-level and basic. Don’t expect a lot of frills.
But you will be getting exposure to your career so even if you don’t get advanced tasks to complete, you’ll still be learning quite a bit.
Why do college students need an internship?
As a college student, you can gain a lot by getting an internship. You can earn experience, learn more about your career field, network with professionals and build your resume. Not only can you grow your resume, but you can hone your marketable skills and be more prepared for a full-time career later.
Let me talk about this a little more to really help you understand.
Sure, you’ve got skills employers want. And by getting a college degree, you’ll learn quite a few more skills to help you be better prepared, but an internship can give you opportunities to enhance those skills employers want even further.
Marketable skills can be things like communication skills, critical thinking, and conflict resolution. There are dozens more, but you get the idea.
And when you complete an internship in your field, you’ll be able to highlight some of these marketable skills that you have because of your internship.
Think about it for a second.
Let’s say that you are interested in the biology field and want to work in a laboratory setting.
During your internship, there is a critical spill. And you are one of the interns that helps clean up the spill. While it might seem like a little task at the time, you just learned a valuable skill.
This experience helped you learn how to work under stress and quickly address an emergency.
You can then list this in your resume as a skill, like quick decision making and works well under stress.
You get the idea.
This can also help you during a job interview when your future employer asks you about a situation where you experience stress. You could think back to your internship and brainstorm answers to interview questions to show off your skills.
So, please don’t underestimate the importance of internships and make note of any skills you learn or tasks you complete. It will help you out later.
Advantages of internships
You can network
While you are an intern, you’re going to have the opportunity to network with professionals in your desired field.
This could potentially lead to getting a reference or letter of recommendation later.
Not only that, but you may get to learn from some very talented professionals and expand your knowledge.
Think about it for a minute. The chance to talk with people who know about your field. They can tell you what to expect, how to get a job, and learn valuable information. And maybe even put you in touch with the right people.
This is your chance to shine and let your bosses know what kind of employee you can be.
Don’t underestimate the benefit of networking.
Learn about your career
Sometimes college students aren’t exactly sure if they want to go into a particular career.
But by being an intern, you can find out if you really love a certain job.
Some interns have found out that the career just isn’t for them.
Maybe you decide that it’s better than you could have ever imagined. Or you realize that this job isn’t what you expected after all and you’re going to switch careers altogether.
Not only will you find out if this job is right for you, but you’re also going to learn terminology in your field and learn specific job skills you’ll use in the future.
You can boast about this on your resume to show future employers that you know more than other candidates.
Employers may notice this and choose to hire you instead. You may require less training and be more attractive to employers.
Get you hired
The National Association of Colleges and Employers did a Job Outlook Report and surveyed employers. Through that survey, they found that if there were two candidates, and one had completed an internship with their organization or in the same area, the employer views the internship as more influential.
What you could take away from this research is that if you are equal to other candidates, and want a competitive edge, completing internship will give you that extra boost you need to stand out.
But before you apply to internships, you need to consider a few things first though.
Things to consider
Is it paid?
Paid internships are usually more selective, but not only do you get the experience, but you also get paid for your time. Most internships are unpaid though. If you are lucky enough to find an internship that is paid, go for it.
You might not be able to afford spending time working at an unpaid internship.
But don’t completely rule out an internship because it’s unpaid because sometimes your university might have some stipends for students who complete an internship.
Check out all your options first.
Is the internship in your field?
It is usually recommended that you look for internships in the same industry as your future career so I wouldn’t waste time on searching for just any internships. You’ll want to focus on internships that can help you land an amazing job later so stick to your discipline.
Why? Because you want to learn more about your future career and build your resume to land a job later.
If you spend time working an internship in another field, it won’t help you out as much.
Sure, it can still benefit you, but I wouldn’t make this mistake.
Stick to your desired career.
How selective is the internship?
The more selective an internship is, the more valuable it may be.
I’ve learned that internships come in all shapes and sizes so pick carefully.
Some are very selective and require a grueling application process. But these can be the most lucrative.
Maybe they are the paid internships, or the internships that lead to a full-time job after graduation.
It doesn’t hurt to apply.
Does the internship lead to a real job?
Some internships are specifically for future employees. I’ve seen some employers have a direct path from an intern to an employee so check and see what’s available.
The employers really like to vet interns for their potential employment by seeing your work first.
It can be a great opportunity to show your potential employer just how talented you are.
How many hours will an intern work?
Most internships are part-time during the long semesters. I typically see interns work around 20 hours a week or less. It entirely depends on the employer and your program, but you aren’t likely to work more than 20 hours per week. However, there are some full-time internships during the summer so if you’re interested in something like that, a summer internship will be better for you.
What are the requirements?
Besides the minimum work hours required, there are likely other eligibility requirements for internships.
For example, do you need to be in a specific degree program?
Or will you have to be enrolled a certain number of credit hours to apply?
And maybe you need a minimum G.P.A. to be eligible.
These are things you will need to review before applying for an internship.
Do you get college credit?
Sometimes universities will offer students college credit for completing an internship. That’s a pretty cool deal. Just make sure that the college credit you earn counts towards your degree program because you don’t want to end up taking more credit hours than you need to graduate.
So, you’ll need to make sure that the credit hours that you get will count directly towards your degree program. Sure, it might be an elective credit, but don’t end up with too many electives and have additional credit hours that don’t apply to your degree plan.
An advisor should be able to explain that to you better than I can.
Disadvantages of internships
Unpaid
If you need to work to support yourself financially, you might not be able to complete an unpaid internship. Focus on looking at paid internships or seeing if there are available scholarships at your university where they provide you with a stipend to offset your time.
But don’t discredit unpaid internships because the experience and networking that you can gain may outweigh the loss in wages.
Behind in school
While you are focusing on an internship, you may fall behind in school.
Make sure you have enough time to study to be successful and don’t prioritize your internship over your academic studies.
You don’t want your grades to suffer for an internship.
So, plan out your schedule and see if you can make it work. Explore your options and get organized to make room for plenty of time to study. It may take some organizational skills to plan accordingly, but you can do it.
Is it even necessary?
In some fields, internships are almost always required for entry into those positions. But other times, you could get just as much experience from a real job in that field and skip the internship altogether.
Sometimes though, you just will never get the same experiences from a job like you will from an internship.
And some employers like their candidates to have internships because it’s like the internship already vetted you for employment.
It can really depend on the field.
The best way to find this information out is to talk to the experts.
Talk to your professors and advisors to learn more about internships in your field.
Look at your future employers’ websites. Do they discuss the importance of internships for their job qualifications?
Is there a recruiter you could talk to?
Really investigate the requirements and experience for your future career before you completely rule out an internship.
It may just be the ticket to a full-time job later.
Entry-level work
As an intern, you won’t typically be doing anything too exciting or working on any significant tasks, at least not in the beginning.
Most interns will be doing menial tasks like administrative or clerical duties.
But this depends on the internship. Some interns will be doing more exciting and diverse jobs compared to others.
Regardless of the work you’ll be doing, you’re going to be exposed to real world scenarios and learn more about your career path.
It will take a lot of research to find out if an internship is right for you, but as you can see, there are lots of advantages for college students to complete an internship but also a few downsides you need to consider first. Start exploring your options and see if they are right for you.
And with my internship guide, you’ll know where to start.
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