I remember watching a YouTube video on the subject of internships a few years ago, in which someone said: "The only thing you should expect to get out of this experience is connections." The man in the video went on to note that a young intern shouldn't expect to get any real experience or to learn anything valuable because that is not what internships are meant for.
At the time I watched the video, I didn't know what to expect from an internship – I was still in high school and preparing to go off to college the following year. Yet, unknowingly, that video stayed in my mind as I applied for summer internships a few years later, believing that my experience would be rooted in the connections I made and nothing more.
As it turned out, the man in the video could not have been more wrong. While it is definitely true that the connections you make during an internship can shape your career, it is certainly not the only thing you will get out of the experience. If I could go back and speak to my younger self, I would say that an internship is exactly what you make of it. Whether it is filled with opportunities or less eventful, being an intern can jump-start your professional career in more than one way.
Throughout my time at college, I've had internship experiences that could not have been more varied: from ones filled with leadership roles to others where the work I did seemed almost meaningless. Yet, what I have found is that the best thing you can do for yourself during an internship is to go after as many opportunities as you can, even if they aren't handed to you.
Throughout your internship, make yourself available for as much work as you want to do: offer your help to your co-workers and volunteer for projects. Even if you end up with a small task, you will still be learning a valuable lesson in going after what you want in your career, and being able to fight for it.
Gaining experience as an intern will also introduce you to an office setting and train you in how to act as a professional. Before my first internship, I barely knew how to write a formal email to someone, let alone how to present myself in a company environment. Interning exposes you to your prospective career field, while also making you more comfortable and prepared as a young professional.
More than anything, an internship can give you a peek into a certain field or type of company, helping you narrow down the kind of place you will want to work at in the future. When I entered college, I had no idea what kind of job I wanted to have once I graduated. Even though that is something I am still trying to figure out, internships have given me insight into different industries and allowed me to hone in on the areas that truly interest me.
While an internship can completely shape the rest of your career, it is in your hands to define how valuable that experience can be. You could sit back and jot it down on your resume once it is over, or you could grow, learn and have something real to show for it.
