Internships are granted to students to gain an outlook on professional environments. Learning outside of the classroom is considered to be a critical component of mastering your future vocation. Professional skills and educational growth is key for success during the process as well.
Students in the process of learning concepts can have a better outlook on whether or not they wish to change their major or not. For undergraduate students, an internship could help determine this. 80 percent of undergrads end up changing their majors after experiencing a real-world atmosphere of a job opportunity that will likely land their way.
Networking opportunities are a critical factor in what makes internships valuable as well. Professional connections are born throughout the time spent with professionals in certain fields that interns wish to join. Building a connection in an organization, regardless of your major, can benefit future opportunities in a similar workplace with relationships that have been made through interning.
Interns receive an education for life with their bosses, and in some cases, perform tasks that some full-time employees do not. Projects and difficult tasks can be performed by students that demonstrate the ability to work with others and perform at an exceptional rate for the workplace.
There are also more long-term benefits that come with working. Interning as a student is a critical resume builder for future opportunities.
Those who intern as a student tend to be two times as prepared to engage with others and perform at a high level regardless of tasks as opposed to someone who did not intern while in college.
What college students should find appealing as well, is that many internships are willing to compensate for the work that has been completed. This compensation could easily go towards school tuition and food for the semester as well. Businesses tend to understand how much of a struggle it can be to afford college. Therefore, with the right work ethic, repayment becomes possible.
Confidence takes a toll on a student who wishes to one day work in a specific field. With this confidence, many opportunities are open to work as a full-time employee. Working straight out of college without true experience could ultimately be a downfall and could possibly be too late to change your line of work. Knowing ahead of time and being prepared to work in area of expertise is critical and an internship will give you this information.
The Center for Career and Professional Development offers many opportunities for networking and shows the process in which an internship is found. It allows for current undergraduate students, graduate students and alumni to find an area of success for their specific field.
The Center for Career and Professional Development offers the assistance of finding a major that best fits, resume building, internship opportunities and other factors that go into finding the proper career path for the future.
Amanda Lynn, junior special education major, is a LeadStrong intern. “I was able to get my internship through CCPD and it is a great resume builder,” Lynn said. “My job is based around sending emails, setting up workshops and planning ceremonies for events.”
Joshua Sanchez, senior psychology and communication major, previously was an intern for 6 ABC. “I recorded stats for football games and edited stories during my time there,” Sanchez said. Sanchez emphasized how critical it was to treat your internship seriously and how important it is to learn.
“I treated my internship like I treat my podcast,” Sanchez said. “I look at it as a Netflix subscription.”
