Dear Fellow Undergrad Students,
In college, you will often hear that internships are required or highly recommended before graduation. Being an undergraduate business student at the University of Toledo has shown me that an internship can be the biggest influence of your college career! Of course, not all internships are equally beneficial, but most will provide massive benefits that part-time jobs simply cannot.
1. The internship is usually within your area of study. This is a huge benefit because you have the opportunity to apply academic knowledge and real-world experience within the office. Some companies will grant internships to freshmen and sophomores, so that they can train them and keep them until graduation.
2. The internship supervisors provide guidance, evaluation, and feedback to facilitate the learning process. Whether they conduct evaluations or give verbal constructive criticism, it is important for inexperienced students to learn from their mistakes and become better young professionals.
3. Doing more than one internship is crucial. Having more than one internship experience is great because you are learning to use your professional and academic skills in more than one setting. By doing this, you can figure out whether you like the field that you chose to study and what work environment fits you best.
4. Most part-time internships provide flexibility that normal part-time jobs will not. Intern recruiters are specifically hiring students with high academic standing and will understand the demand of your schedule.
5. Some are paid and some are unpaid. Don't let the fact that an internship is unpaid make you change your mind. Internships can save you BIG money by counting for college credit.
6. I believe networking, establishing mentors and building references is the best part of completing internships. Sure, part-time jobs can allow for some advancement and mentor opportunities, but internships tailor to this much more. While building professional relationships and expanding the scope of your professional skills you are building a path for advancement. Supervisors and coworkers will recognize your hard work and take that into consideration when hiring for more permanent positions.
"Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition – in having put forth the best within you." – Henry J. Kaiser
