Internships are one of the most crucial experiences people can have while in college. Before we sign our lives away to one career field, our internship(s) have the potential of changing our mind about our chosen major and desired career path. While internships are ultimately there to give people field experience, people often leave with more lessons learned during their experience(s) as an intern.
1. You learn more about yourself, what you want, and what you don't want.
You may have wanted to be a (insert job) your entire life. However, your internship might change that. Internships are a learning experience, and while nothing is guaranteed during your internship, you are guaranteed to learn more about yourself, what you want, and what you don't want. Your internship might change everything; you might not even want to be a (insert job) after your internship. It's a hard reality to face, but that's the beauty of internships; they are a pre-job to the real job. You are allowed to work your internship, possibly hate it, and never have to look back once it's over. You are allowed to change your career path because nothing is holding you back. Your internship will give you insight into the job you really want. Do you want a desk job? Do you want to be on a computer all day? Do you want to be around people? Do you want to work 9-5? Do you want a job that keeps you active and busy throughout the day? The more internships you have, the more you will learn about yourself and what kind of job you want.
2. You learn that the classroom is no substitute for real life.
Keep in mind that no matter how great your school is or how great the education you're getting is, the classroom is no substitute for real life. You may have some of the best professors in the country, but nothing will compare to what you will learn at your internship. Your internship is a real-world version of the classroom and the knowledge you take away will help you more than any book will.
3. You realize that making a mistake is not the end of the world.
Internships are a learning experience. You're not supposed to be perfect. Making mistakes are okay because you learn from your mistakes and they make you a better worker. Chances are, making a mistake will not jeopardize your future career as a (insert job).
4. You're doing better than you think.
You may be at the bottom of the hierarchy. You may have less experience than any of your colleagues. You may feel useless compared to your colleagues . You may not be doing as great as you thought you would and you might think you're not cut out for this career field. While you may doubt yourself, you're doing better than you think. You have an internship. A lot of people don't get an internship until they are about ready to graduate; some people never get an internship. Even if you're not doing as great as you'd like, you're boosting your resume and everything you're learning at your internship will help you in the long run.
5. You might hate your internship.
This might have been the internship of your dreams, the internship that you were so excited about, or the internship at a company you dream of working for after college. However, you might hate your internship. If you hate your internship, it's okay. Just because you hate your internship doesn't mean you aren't thankful for the experience. Hating your internship doesn't make you an ungrateful, bad person. Internships are meant to give you insight into what kind of job you want and don't want. Internships are a learning experience; if your internship doesn't shape your opinion about your chosen career field, then you have a problem.
6. You realize the adult world is hard and you're at the bottom of the food chain.
Interning is only the first step in obtaining your dream job. In some career fields, you can't get anywhere without having a couple internships under your belt. Interning makes you realize that you're at the bottom of the hierarchy and have a lot of work to do before you can get to the top.
7. You learn to enjoy your time as a college student because before you know it, the adult world will be knocking at your door.
As great as your internship may be or as much as you might want your dream job, no experience will ever be equivalent to your time in college. Interning makes you realize that your time to be a carefree college student only lasts so long and you need to live it up and enjoy it while you still can.
While you're in the midst of your internship, don't forget to take it all in, ask questions when you have them, take on as much responsibility as you can, make contacts, and enjoy your experience. Before you know it, you'll be back in your college town living it up as a college kid. While internships and working towards your future career are important, don't forget to take advantage of your carefree college lifestyle and enjoy it while you can. It's only lasts four years, your career can last forever.
