Students should participate in internships because they provide opportunities to enhance learning experiences and make connections that can be used later when pursuing a career in a particular field.
Even students with fantastic grades are overlooked by employers for students with multiple internships, according to an article by CareerUp. Good grades are no longer the only thing employers are looking for, although they do help. Experience in the workplace is becoming more valuable and coveted by students, making internships fewer and more competitive.
CNN reported that Northwestern Mutual only hires 40 interns from around 400 candidates. It is a very select program with around 1000 résumés submitted every year. However, highly coveted internships are more likely to result in a future job opportunity.
It is hard to decide whether the experience or the résumé builder is the better reason for taking an internship while in college. The experience of working in an office space and how to function in the real world is a valuable asset that employers look for when hiring an intern or possible future employee.
“Graduating students with paid or unpaid internships on their résumé have a much better chance at landing a full-time position upon graduation,” said Melissa Benca, the former director of career services at Marymount Manhattan College in New York in the article for CNN. She also said that employers are looking for interns to fulfill the role of full-time employees so that they can be hired after graduation.
Students have a lot on their plate while in college and, for some, an internship may seem like a waste of time, especially if unpaid. According to Huffington Post, nearly four out of five college students work a part-time job so they can get through school.
Sacrificing valuable hours of work time may not be an option for some people. Because of this, many internships are offered during the summer when most students take time off from school. This allows some students to make money and add an internship to their résumé as well.
“I hope to get an internship at Lockheed Martin, and maybe once I graduate it can become a fulltime job,” said Nick Weaver, a sophomore mechanical engineering major.
Weaver also said he would prefer a paid internship but understands that even the experience at an unpaid internship is very important for his future.
The effort spent attaining and landing an internship is worth it for students because it gives them an edge in the business world while helping them prepare for their careers.
