The Importance of Internships

Finding a job can be difficult, especially if you do not have work experience.  Landing an internship is a great way for college students, recent graduates or anyone considering a career change to gain valuable work experience.

An internship is an opportunity for students to work in the field that interest them, to valuable work experience and first-hand knowledge of the working work.  Anyone who had tried to look for employment will tell you how difficult and nearly impossible it is to get hire or for employers to even look at you resume if you do not have some sort of work experience.

Employers overwhelming point to internship experience as one the most important factors they consider in hiring new college graduates for full-time positions.  According to the National Association of College and Employers’ 2018 Internship and Co-op Survey Report, the average job offer rate to interns is 50% (with a 77.3% acceptance rate), and employers expected to increase the hiring of interns by 1.7% in 2018. However, intern wages are up.  The average rate is $18.73, which is 67 cents more (3.7%) from last year’s rate.

Here are valuable benefits to completing an internship program while you are in college.

• Gain valuable experience – getting real-work experience under your belt to develop a resume is crucial.  After all, perspective employers want to see that you bring a good set of professional skills to the table.
• Explore a career path – an internship is a great way for college students to explore or get familiar with a particular field that interest them while in college.  This allows a student to work in their chosen field and to help them decide if it is right for them.
• Having an edge in the market – students who already have some work experience when they graduate, through internships stand out to employers.  This is one of the most important benefits of students completing internships.
• Develop and refine skills – a great way to learn about your strengths and weaknesses is during an internship.  Internships allow you to get feedback from supervisors and others who are experienced in the field, and offer a unique learning opportunity that you may not receive otherwise.  An internship allows you the opportunity to make mistakes, as questions, observe, and take risks to get the most out of you internship training experience.
• Financial compensation - many internships are paid, but many are unpaid as well.  Nevertheless, an internship paid or unpaid is a valuable way to get experience.  In some instances, students can gain credits from the experience.  A paid internship is a great way to earn money to pay for school.

President Barack Obama joins the 2014 White House Fall Interns for a group photo in the East Room of the White House. December 11, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

• Networking – An internship is a great way to meet professionals in the industry.  It is more than just about getting a paycheck, earning credits, or getting grades.  An internship provides opportunities to learn from the people around you.  The professionals you encounter during your internship can be your future colleagues or the connection to your first job.
• Confidence – internships allow students to build confidence by applying the techniques they learn in the classroom before entering the workforce.

• Transition to a job – many companies us internships as a way to build future talent pipeline.  It is a way for companies to test out an employee before hiring them.  Once you have learned the job in a professional setting, you will learn how to relax more in an office or other settings and focus more at excelling at the work.

Any student who has tried to look for employment will tell you how difficult and how impossible it is to be hired or for employers to look at your resume if you have not had an internship.  Therefore, internships are important because it provides real life experience and exposure to students.  Interning in ones desired field of study will give a student practical experience of what it would be like to work in that field.  In school, students mostly taught the theory side of things and an internship provides real experience.

~Angela King