CAREERS: Internships
Have you, or has someone else you know, ever participated in an internship? What exactly is an internship, and why would someone seek one in place of a more traditional part-time job? Here, we take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of these programs, and help you determine if an internship would be right for you.
How Does It Work?
Usually, interns are either college students, or recent college graduates who have not yet found full-time work. But it’s possible to find internships for high school students as well. Basically, an internship is a temporary work placement with a fixed endpoint (usually between one week and one year). They can be part-time or full-time. Students usually look for internships related to the job field they hope to enter someday. Similarly, there are some employers who will only hire employees who have interned with their company.
Here’s hoping any internship experience you might have is better than this? Credit: Ian Allenden/Alamy Stock Photo
What Are the Advantages?
Interns receive on-the-job training and real-world experience in their field of interest. Internships emphasize education and knowledge over “grunt work.” They are also fabulous resume boosters. As an intern, you may even receive college credit. But more importantly, you can gain a lot of knowledge in your field. Working within a company can also give you a sense of whether or not this really is what you would like to do for your career someday. And it can also give you a chance to “network,” or meet people who can later give you a helping hand in the job search process. In fact, many companies hire directly from their intern pool, because interns are already familiar with the company and require little to no training. This would give you a huge advantage over other recent graduates applying for the same job.
What Are the Disadvantages?
While some internships are paid or partially-paid, the vast majority are not. This means that interns either need to have another source of income (such as another part-time job) or have amassed enough savings to allow them to “work for free” during the period of their internship. This isn’t possible for everyone.
Should I Apply For an Internship?
That largely depends on the kind of job you hope to get someday. Highly competitive fields – such as media, politics, and technology – often require that their applicants have participated in an internship. In other fields, this is less important. Furthermore, if internships in your field are unpaid, you have to decide how you will be able to support yourself during the course of the internship. For example, if you already have college loan debt, and are entering a field in which salaries can sometimes be low (like the media), you must decide if it is worth it to you to accrue more debt in order to potentially raise your chances of getting a job in the field someday.