“Real education begins when formal education ends”. These are words of wisdom from the old guard. The norm of the day has changed, at least when it comes to having practical exposure while pursuing graduation studies. Internships have gone from non-existent to a plus point on the resume. As a matter of fact, many engineering colleges have made successful completion of a 6 months internship compulsory for the students. Is it just one more hoop to jump through for the students? Or is there something more that students can take away from internships? Let us look at the value that an internship can add to the education of an undergrad.
The trial run – Not all types of jobs will be good for you, despite you having an educational background in the same field. A full-time commitment to a job or an industry that is not a right fit for you can prove to be a costly mistake to undo in terms of time, energy and opportunities. A few months of internship, paid or not, can be used to test this new career. Get a taste of a typical day of work in that industry, the skills that are actually applied or those that can be learned here and make decisions on the basis of this inside knowledge that only an internship can provide.
The bridge – A well placed internship can be a bridge between the classroom and the industry. Often, because the industry is always up-skilling and changing, the curriculum of your under-graduate degree may or may not be able to keep up with the skills that are required by the industry. This creates a gap between what is taught in the classroom and what is needed in the office. An internship is a perfect way to fill out this gap. It gives an intern a position of lowest responsibility and most learning. A relevant internship will make the first few months on the job smoother than what it would have been otherwise.
A star-studded resume – An internship, whether it is full time or part time, paid or unpaid, always adds a lot of weight to your resume and comes handy during campus placements. Successful completion of an internship tells the recruiter that you will be worth the investment of a training period. Not to mention the conversation that can be had over the topic of the internship. It shows the recruiter that you have already started learning the ropes of the industry, which is a point that goes in your favour, especially for a job that demands entry level work experience. An internship also adds value to your profile when applying for colleges for higher education. It shows that your skills are not restricted to the sphere of academics alone.
A great way to network – An internship gives you opportunity of networking with people outside you peer group. You can work on forging working relationships and crucial professional connections that may serve as a stepping stone to building a full-time career or a source of a pre-placement offer. Even if you don’t intend to stay in the industry of your internship, still the skill of building a network is also a valuable takeaway from an internship, one that will be required all your professional-life.
Learning life skills – An internship is a place to learn life skills like managing finances, managing time and relationships and managing yourself. Now, you may not learn these skills at the workplace. But you will learn them while you are managing your internship along with your final year project or your degree course. The sooner you learn it the better it is for you. A full-time job comes with lot less room for mistakes than an internship.
Internships benefit the students as well as the recruiters. It helps them evaluate the talent for the newcomers without trading off much of anything else. They also get the advantage of the fresh young perspective that the college age interns can bring to the table. From the point of view of the under graduate student, an internship can prove to be the cornerstone of long-term career planning. Not just one more hurdle to cross to getting your degree, it can give you a plan of action for building a rewarding career. It can help you take your next step – which can range from a dive into entrepreneurship, or higher education education like an MBA or MS to saying yes to a pre-placement offer.
