Why Internships Matter for College Students

By Amanda Brown

To intern or not to intern?

Every college student faces this question at one point or another. These days, it’s almost expected that you intern at some point while in college. However, when you’re in the middle of juggling papers and exams, it’s easy to put applying for an internship on the backburner.

College is demanding on it’s own, and the idea of throwing in an internship on top of that can seem overwhelming. Truth is, internships matter. The experience gained from a good internship can unleash a world of exciting career opportunities. Let’s explore a few reasons why internships matter.

Explore your interests

The majority of college students switch their major a few times before they graduate. It’s next to impossible to figure out what you want to do with your life from only taking some courses on a related subject. You discover what you want to do through doing.

Internships are the perfect way to get out there and do what you’re interested in. Think of it like trying on shoes. You can like the way a shoe looks on the rack, but until you try it on and walk around in them, you won’t know if you want to take them home. Same goes for careers. A certain career can look and sound good, but once you get out on the field it’s a different experience. Interning early on in your college career can save a lot of time spent wondering if you’re majoring in the right thing.

Set you apart from the rest

The majority of job applicants look the same to future employers screening resumes. If you only have your degree to back you up, there is nothing to separate you from the other stack of applicants with similar majors. An interesting internship makes you stand out from the crowd and says a little something about who you are.

For example, if you are a recent grad who majored in biology and also interned at a biology research center, it says that you are passionate enough about biology to go out there and immerse yourself in the field. An internship shows that you’re the type of person to take what you’ve learned and do something with it. It also gives you real-world job experience, which is much more valuable to an employer than having simply sat through some classes in your particular field.

Open doors of opportunity

So many people who are working in careers they love got their start through interning. Internships give you an “in” to whatever industry you wish to work in, and an opportunity to prove yourself and work up to where you want to be. Even if you don’t end up working for the company you interned for, internships give you valuable experience and references that can help you land another job you’re interested in.

Make connections

Through interning, you meet people in the field you’re interested in working in and from there more opportunities can emerge. You never know if so-and-so at your internship knows another so-and-so who knows the so-and-so that owns the company you’ve dreamed of working at.

If that person needs to hire someone stat, they will likely ask friends for recommendations and if you’re mentioned, you’ve scored an interview. Definitely don’t meet people with the sole intention of finding new job opportunities. Just genuinely get to know everyone you’re interning with and be out to help them through connections of your own and later it could work in your favor.

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