This summer I decided to take an unpaid internship position at a hospital near my hometown. I found that setting aside nine hours a week was actually one of the most beneficial things I could have done with my time. From this volunteer position, I learned many valuable life lessons – the most important of which I’ll share with you.

Volunteering provides you with experience in your career field.

I am studying to work in the medical field, somewhere in the realm of the operating room. My volunteer position placed me in the mother/infant unit (the MIU), which provided me with tasks that were far from what I would be performing in the OR; however, I learned quite a lot simply from being in a hospital setting.

I learned the basics of how to care for and interact with patients, how to perform basic tasks around my unit, and I’ve been able to observe medical procedures. Now, not all of you reading this are planning on entering the medical field, but this still applies to you. As an intern or volunteer, you may not be performing the tasks that you would like to, but you can learn so much by simply being in the same setting and interacting with people who do what you hope to do in the future.

Volunteer or intern positions are very valuable for creating connections.

It’s always nice to know people. Or know people who know people. For example, when I began volunteering in the mother/infant unit at the hospital, I met a girl who was part of a recruiting team for a special program for college students interested in medicine. Because I met her, I was able to apply for this program with the hopes of gaining clinical hours to put toward my graduate school applications in the future. Taking an unpaid position in a place you’d like to work in the future is bound to put you in close proximity to people with power. By keeping a good work ethic and attitude and taking the initial step to communicate with these people, you’ll create a reputation for yourself – a good one. These people will find that you are the type of person they’d like to have as a part of their team. Once you’re a part of that team, you can create even more connections. By building your network of connections, you open up numerous opportunities for your future.

Everyone has to start somewhere.

Whether you want to be a doctor, lawyer, or even a professional musician, you need a starting point. Often times volunteering and unpaid internships are your best opportunities. Yes, you might be starting at the bottom, but at least you know there’s only one way to go from there: up. When you take a position that is unpaid, you show people that you are driven and determined to make it to the top. It doesn’t matter that you aren’t getting paid to perform seemingly mundane tasks, you know that this is a necessary step to get you to where you want to be.

So if you’re skeptical about taking an internship or being a volunteer – thinking you should really be getting a job and earning money or thinking that you could be doing something more fun with your time – stop right there. Think of the benefits of starting early to pursue your dream, and then just go for it. Looking back, you’ll be glad you did.