How Internships Can Create Opportunities for Success

College & Career Connections

What’s one more thing to the already hectic schedule that you have in your final year of college? Well, the idea of partying and celebrating your forthcoming freedom from school seems to be the celebration that captures most students. But before you celebrate that freedom, consider this: an internship. An internship is when a student works in an organization (paid or unpaid) which in turn gives the student the opportunity to gain valuable experience, learn new and useful skills, and develop priceless relationships. Internships can last for as little as three months and as much as six months, so it doesn’t take up your whole final year of college. Think about all the things that you’ve learned as a student and what type of advantage having an internship will give you when you finally enter the workforce.

internship

|ˈɪntɜːrnʃɪp|     n. 

When a student works in an organization paid or unpaid which in turn gives the student the opportunity to gain valuable experience, learn new and useful skills, and develop priceless relationships.

The Benefits of internships

Having recognized the benefits of an internship and taken advantage of those opportunities, here are some great reasons to get an internship:

  • Gain Valuable Experience 

    This is your opportunity to “try out” the job or career of your choice. You also gain skills that you can only learn on the job. Not only have you gained skills, but you’ve had the opportunity to demonstrate them. The individuals that you work with during your internship can vouch for your skills and experience.

  • Spruce up your resume

    College is great ways to begin your career journey with clubs and organizations, but viable experience as an intern could turn the eye of many employers, creating an edge over others in the job market.

  • Develop Skills 

    Your skill set is limited when you first finish school. An internship will help develop and enhance soft and hard skills. Today’s employers are just as interested in your soft or transferable skills as they are in the skills that are specific to the job.

  • Build Relevant Relationships 

    Networking is a vital skill to have in the job market. The relationships that you build while interning is critical to your future success. Once you build those relationships they, in turn, can set you up for success just based on the relationships that you’ve built.

  • Meet Your Mentor 

    You need direction and one of the best ways to get that is to acquire a mentor. Many people meet their mentors in their internship. Mentors are experienced and trusted advisers — they are a part of that relationship building that you should be doing in your internship, but they work with you to ensure you that you are successful. Mentorship is not a one-way relationship. It requires give and take to be effective.

Reach Out

So, did I spark an interest? Do you want to learn more about internships? Learning more about finding an internship is as easy as visiting your college career center. All the resources you need to get started are right there in the palm of your hands. Visit your college career center, the staff there are there to help you succeed in this aspect — they’ve been around since your freshman year. Your school may have partnered with large corporations and medium-sized businesses to offer internships to students just like you.

Get a leg up on other students that are entering the workforce by obtaining vital skills that employers look for.

It’s important that as a student moving into the workforce soon after school that students take advantage of these internships because they create opportunities beyond the time that you will spend in the internship. It’s not as easy as many may think to get work right out of school, so the more experience you can gain to include in the work experience section of your resume the better. Get a leg up on other students that are entering the workforce by obtaining vital skills that employers crave under your belt. Internships are not all fun and games though. They are meant to test your ability to work a job and give you hands-on experience in the industry or field of your choice.

Internships test all the work that you put in your classes by thrusting you into the reality of the job — giving you the chance to try out the job before you work the job. Now, take the first step into your future and sign up for an internship.

Get Started

Here’s a head’s up for an upcoming internship opportunity: PC Group 365 is looking for an intern! PC Group 365’s goal is to get people involved by giving back time to the community. They need assistance with the execution of volunteer outreach projects, fundraiser, media, and administrative needs. Email info@pcgroup365.com using Internship in the subject line along with your resume and what you can add to the team.

You must be logged in to post a comment.
Menu