I love internships. I love them so much I’ve done two.
Internships are great. Where an education provides you with the theory and knowledge you need to succeed in your chosen career, an internship gives you experience, and employers value experience above everything.
As English poet John Keats said:
“Nothing ever becomes real ’til it is experienced.”
Taking part in an internship will give you the chance to put the abstract theories you learned in the class room to the test, and a good one will teach you things that your professors never could.
You’ll learn the difference between theory and practice…
In university I read books on interview skills, research skills, how to develop and pitch a story, but until I actually spent six weeks with a national news network, actively interviewing people in the field and having to cut and splice it into something my editor might actually want to use, I had no idea what being a journalist actually entailed, or how theories about the best ways to interview rarely work in an actual interview.
http://giphy.com/gifs/book-read-reading-HBHrbvkXAg5gI or http://giphy.com/gifs/10amxh4XHUNyFO
Another thing I learned during that internship was that I didn’t really want to be a journalist. Now, I know you may not think that sounds like a good thing. After all I’d spent 4 years and a lot of money on that degree.
However, what I learned was that while I didn’t like being a journalist, I did love all the more “behind the scenes” aspects. That knowledge has directed my career path ever since, and allowed me to make some necessary adjustments in my final classes to better suit my new interests.
You’ll learn important skills
Like teamwork, communication, networking, leadership and problem solving skills on a professional level.
http://giphy.com/gifs/silicon-valley-l3972NsEV9WmulnWw
You may argue that you learned those things in university, but working in a team that contains people professionally superior to you, rather than just your peers, is a very different kettle of fish. You can’t tell your boss to hurry up and get their work done, and reporting your superior for being late with their end of the project is a bit of a faux pas.
The experience that employers are looking for isn’t just career know-how it’s also soft skills like these that play an important part in whether or not you’ll get the job.
You’ll earn yourself a reference and some relevant experience for your resume
Any experience on your resume is good, even if it’s that job you had as a cashier at McDonalds that summer, but relevant experience is even better. Surviving a summer at McDonalds proves you can handle angry customers, but an internship proves that you can handle your chosen profession and all of the responsibilities it entails.
http://giphy.com/gifs/insane-mcdonalds-bMENfdBOPtFn2 or http://giphy.com/gifs/images-mcdonald-ronald-hVX0N9u0kiubK
A good reference is also nothing to be scoffed at. Future employers will be keen to hear from someone you worked for, because resumes and interviews will never give them the full picture of your capabilities.
You’ll build confidence in yourself and your abilities
Having the opportunity to actually test your education in the real world is priceless. Being able to use your knowledge to rise to challenges, even if you don’t solve them, will give you confidence in your abilities.
My second internship was with a government ministry, and one of my jobs was to fetch information for the minister when he needed it. The first time I was asked I was so nervous that I would bring him the wrong information I literally felt sick to my stomach, but as the weeks passed my confidence grew and so did the quality of my research. That confidence in my abilities has stuck with me ever since.
Internships are wonderful ways to grow and learn and I strongly believe that everyone should do one during or after their studies, or even later on in life if they decide they want to experience a different career path. So get out there and get one!