In college, we study hard to maintain our grades and prepare for the real world. However, in addition to just studying, college students have to look for real-world experience when it comes to jobs. No matter what major you are in, the extracurricular experience is definitely something that sets you apart from other candidates when applying for jobs or even graduate schools. Because of this, many college students look for and partake in internships to boost their resumes so when applying to future career-oriented positions, they are more qualified and ready. However, there has been such a huge emphasis put on internships that sometimes, other options are completely forgotten or thought less of. Well, let me tell you, that is definitely not the case. There are so many alternatives, even better ones, than internships.

Internships are basically part-time jobs. They require you to work a minimum number of hours in a company doing work-related duties, in return, gaining experience and knowledge in that job and field. However, internships are not the only thing that gives you experience and knowledge in the specific field that you want to go into. For instance, there are research opportunities. Research is something that many people do not consider as experience, but it definitely is a great way to gain expertise in a field. Whether it be researching through a research lab or conducting independent research, both are valuable alternatives to boosting your resume and separating yourself from other candidates. When conducting independent research, although it is not through a company necessarily or any higher up, you learn so many skills from it apart from gaining knowledge in your field. You learn time management skills through creating your own schedule and really gain a strong foothold in leadership. In fact, I think that sometimes independent research is even stronger than an internship.

Another alternative is taking online courses or learning a new subject. If you are sad that you have no experience or have gotten nothing for the semester or break, think about learning something new to add to your skill set. What employers want to see is more than just your experience, but how you make use of your time. Instead of doing nothing during a couple of months that your peers may be doing something, take initiative and learn something new to enhance your wide range skill set. Remember, any experience is an experience. Taking online courses or self-teaching yourself a concept or subject is definitely something that many people learn and benefit a lot from.

Next time, if you don't land your dream internship or your schedule is not made out to fit an internship, think of alternative solutions and experiences rather than just doing nothing. As the workforce is getting more and more difficult and competitive, college students need to think of ways to really show that they are not wasting their time, but instead, learning from each experience, no matter how small or big. Remember that any experience is experience, and therefore you will learn from them.