Throughout our lives, we are taught that the natural progression of success is getting into the best school, landing the dream internship and being offered a full-time position. But what if I told you that not all internships are created equal?
As college students preparing for the "real world," we can get caught up in trying to construct the perfect resume. It's so easy to become trapped in a job you hate just so you can claim a Fortune 500 on a piece of paper. While there's nothing wrong with setting big goals, the trouble comes when we trade titles and money for our happiness.
With that being said, it is also very important to expand your horizons and try things you're unsure of. The only way to know if you are going to love or hate a job is if you get out there and try it for yourself. Internships are like taste testing jobs before we step out on our own.
After changing my major six times, I finally landed on communication because it was the broadest available major. Now that I've chosen such a broad subject to learn about, it's my job to go out there and find what subsection of communication I am passionate about. This is something that I cannot learn from memorizing the PowerPoints the professor preaches about, and neither can you.
Now, while you're still in college, is the time to get out there and apply for as many different internships as possible. Yes, they can be time consuming, stressful, degrading and a whole other gamut of emotions. But, they can also be amazing, life changing, door opening network experiences.
This is the time to hone your skills and find what you like and don't like about your field of study. Internships are designed to give you work experience while also teaching you every step of the way. Often times, you will learn valuable onsite training that you cannot receive in your college courses.
I implore you to look past the dollar sign that some internships may (or may not) offer you. Trust me, I understand that we all want to get paid, but you really cannot put a price tag on experience. Would you rather know that you love a specific aspect of your career field and gain essential on-site knowledge, or get paid to work for a company you hate all summer?
The age old quote, "Money can't buy happiness," becomes clearer and clearer as we get older. If you can't see it now, I hope that one day you will find that your happiness is worth so much more than any paycheck.
If you are beginning your quest for the "perfect" internship this summer, you may want to start with LinkedIn. By creating an account, you can find job postings and internship opportunities with companies you care about and allow them to view your online resume.
If you haven't started yet, it's never too early to check out all your career options. Wouldn't you rather know that you hate your job before those student loan payments start rolling in?
