College is not just a time to go out and party all weekend and study all week.  If you can devote part of your time every week to internships in college you will be far ahead of your peers when you graduate.

College is the perfect opportunity to try a bunch of new career paths while not having to worry as much about the long term commitment.

Many times students don’t know what type of internships they should get while in college so I developed this 5 point guide to help.

Here is a quick guide to evaluating internships in college:

1. Time Commitment: It is important to make sure that it is something that you can handle along with your work load and your social life.  Internships are a great way to build connections and can help you get a foot in the door but if you cannot perform the tasks that are asked of you through the internship then taking it on may actually hurt you more than help.  Do your best to put yourself in a position where you can excel.
2. Relevance to your area of expertise: There are two theories about how much your internship should relate to your area of expertise.  Some believe that you should only take on opportunities that are in your field while others think branching out is a good way to lean about other areas.  I am a proponent of the latter because broadening your understanding of how everything functions is a good career move.  It makes an employee more versatile.  You also never know how things are connected so while a job may not seem to fit with your career plans it may, in fact, be closely related.  I would not dismiss an opportunity simply because it is not in your specific field.
3. Organization type: Startups are where you learn the most.  In no other type of organization are you able to try a variety of different tasks and actually make a difference to a company.  In a startup you are part of a vibrant and growing team.  You have the ability to do what you love to do and you will never have a dull moment.  Big businesses are great for upward mobility and job stability (for the most part) but you can quickly get lost in the shuffle and turn into just another number.
4. Type of work: Getting someone coffee 5 days a week does you no good.  You want a position in which you can learn new material every day.  Working under someone with more experience can be very helpful, but also make sure you are always looking for ways to improve.  This aspect of evaluating internships in college is similar to the time commitment.  You want to be challenged but you don’t want to sign up for something you know you cannot do.
5. Compensation: I hesitated when including this item on to this list.  Compensation should be the least of your worries when making a decision about internships in college.  There is a difference between an internship and job.  Internships are designed to help you grow; they are there to allow you the ability to gain experience and get a significant advantage over your peers.  While compensation is nice, giving up a great opportunity in an area that you are passionate about because of the amount they will or will not pay you is not a smart career move.

Remember that the type of internship that you decide to take on is a reflection of your personal brand.  In the corporate world everyone wants to see some experience.  If you have a way to stand out against the sea of college graduates with a 4 year degree and limited work experience you are a significant step ahead.

Internships in college are the best way to jumpstart your career.

Author: RJ Sherman

Support me by sharing this post:

Every year around this time you can hear a buzz in the air, a shuffling of papers and feet and even some coffee boiling: it’s students working for free!

Young professionals in college and even as young as high school are looking to work in the corporate world for free to gain the experience they need to succeed. Any experience they get can help them create and define their personal brands until they are ready to get a “real” job.

While not all internships are created equal, any student intern in the end can say that it was a worthwhile experience. Maybe it wasn’t the most exhilarating and action packed internship you dreamed of, but the entire process and journey over the months that you worked there is something that you can deny. So lets go through them:

Found the perfect internship (10 tries later!): You went to every job posting site you could find and sent out your resume and cover letter to countless companies. You wait anxiously like any other job applicant until you hear back finding out they want you to come in for an interview.

Interview time: This is what you have been preparing for your entire life, going face to face with a potential employer.  This is where your personal branding pays off. They think they know everything about you but you’re about to blow them away!

Start working: This is where all internships are not created equal, but it doesn’t matter. As a student intern you may do some “grunt” work, everyone has to do it at some point. You will soon find out that some employees get paid to do the same work you do! Work hard and stand out, it could get you a job someday. By not being on the payroll you actually have more flexibility than anyone you work with, so have some fun with it.

Moving on: Statistics show that the average member of Generation-Y will change jobs every 18 months, so this wont come as a shock to you. Most internships take place over the summer, so you have about 4 months to get the most experience you can before heading back to school. Hopefully you will repeat this process numerous times.

Taking it all in: Lets be honest, while most internships are not paid, it feels good to be an student intern even though you’re at the bottom of the pyramid. First hand experience is much better than trying to get it out of a book or in a lecture. If you really didn’t enjoy your internship, then try another industry to find out what exactly you like to do. Also don’t forget to try and work for both big and small companies, as their structures are completely different.

From my own experiences looking back at being a student intern, I was kind of annoyed with some of the things that I did. Like a lot of internships you hear about, I had to get coffee and lunch for employees, sometimes even clean up after them. But then I thought back about the process and realized that there are so many young professionals out there who would give their right arm for this position and that I must have done something amazing to deserve this.

Student interns play a major role in our economy as we’re willing to fill the gaps and do the work that no one else wants to do. If millions of students every year didn’t apply for internships, I think the world would stop spinning.

Author: Trace Cohen

Support me by sharing this post: