Throughout my time in college, I could have done a lot more internships/studied harder. Although I did do my best in college, I did not make as many connections as I wanted to, which could have helped open more employment opportunities as most employers want to see you have some type of experience when applying for a job.

For those who do not know, I graduated high school in 2010, and from there, I entered community college and was working to put money in my pocket and pay some bills that I accumulated while attending college.

As a result of me having to work and attend school, I was more focused on passing my classes and not delaying my graduation/transfer date back more than I already had. The last thing on my mind when I first started college was what I was going to do when I was finished, and although I knew what I wanted to do with my life after college (I wanted to be a news reporter/anchor), I did not think I would have to put the wheels in motion so soon after beginning college.

Much to my surprise, I did have to begin preparing for my career soon after beginning college, and, unfortunately, I did not come to find this out until I was starting my last two years of college, and by then I was required to find at least one internship and because I did not have any other internships under my belt, it was even hard to find an internship.

The field of communications/broadcast journalism is so competitive that you need to start interning when you graduate high school and enter college. Here are few reasons why you need to intern as soon as possible when you are studying to be a journalist or enter the field of general communications.

1. Intern to gain experience.

It is good to get a jump start on your internship experience early to gain the hands-on experience that you will not gain in the classroom. I personally had a lot of book knowledge and was tested on how the world of media works, however, I wish I had hands-on experience as employers do not want you to have book knowledge but hands-on knowledge.

2. When you intern, you can make connections.

A lot of internships can write you a letter of recommendation or give you a good reference. Interning early will allow you to learn from any mistakes that you have made when interning in the past and allow you to connect with more people who could become your mentors and guide you throughout your career.

I wish I would have interned earlier and made more connections because, in my field, you need all the guidance and mentorship you can get. I made a few mistakes on my one and only internship, and if I would have interned anywhere else, these mistakes could have been avoided.

3. When you intern, you could be walking right into your permanent job and not know it.

A lot of times, if you begin at a big company as an intern, your foot is already in the door to do something more permanent. If I would have served as an intern at more places, my options would be wider, and in fact, I could have interned somewhere that could have offered me a full-time position. This can save you time and headache when you graduate college because you do not have to worry about looking.

If I would have interned when I was advised to intern, I most likely would have had a few internships on my resume and qualify myself for more jobs that I would enjoy. The field of communications/journalism is so competitive that I would advise anyone who is in that field to get started early with their internships so the chances of landing your dream job becomes greater.