Why Internships?
Hi, my name is Deon and I am a product of internships. I saw a funny picture circulating on the internet recently. It was an image of a chicken and an egg. The egg was wearing a graduation cap and what seemed to be his hen mother cutting a very forlorn figure on what is supposed to be a joyous occasion. The caption read, "To get a job you need experience, and to gain experience you need a job". I have to admit at first it seemed really hilarious. Then after a few days pondering on it, it seemed less funny and more of a humorous take on a very serious issue.
Every year thousands of students graduate from university with their diplomas in hand. Their reward-- an arduous job search that is rife with uncertainty. As far as I have noticed, things have definitely evolved since the days of my post-graduation job search. One of the most overwhelming factors is the number of experienced hires that have flooded the market. Years of systematic layoffs have impacted hiring practices on two fronts: there are fewer jobs and more graduates to go around and secondly, there is stiff competition from the experienced hire community. Another difference I have observed is that many hiring managers have scaled back on the number of "fresh graduate" hires. The reason? Budgets that were once set aside for comprehensive training programs have been reduced and in some firms cut all together. Instead, recruiters are looking for hires who can contribute from day one, which usually means that the new graduate without any experience sometimes gets overlooked. What then is the answer to this dilemma? You guessed it, internships.
An internship is defined by dictionary.com as: any official or formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession. Internships were invented to give soon to be, as well as newly minted graduates an opportunity to gain some useful experience. The concept is great. It gives young professionals valid experience with which they can bolster their resumes and get a leg up on others who have none. Internships can start from as early as high school. I remember my first internship. It was in high school back in the day. I worked as a graphics design artist for an advertising agency. It was a very insightful experience and I learned a lot during that summer. The biggest lesson? Graphics design work was not for me. It was not that I was not good at it, I was decent. But those who I worked with were so much better, talented and artistic. It helped me realize that it was something that I was good at but not passionate about, which is a feature that makes internships so valuable.
Internships not only give you an opportunity to get some experience, but as in my case, it also serves as a dry run into the industry or the company that you are interested in. Lucky for me, I had my first while in high school, which gave me ample time to change the academic qualifications that I would then pursue. However, many college students find themselves switching majors based on internship experiences as well.
The benefits of internships are also great for the organization. As a hiring manager, an internship gives you an opportunity to assess a potential hire much more effectively than an interview ever would. With an interview, you have to make a decision based on evidence. But, you are also taking a risk that hopefully what you observed during the hiring process will actually work out in the long term. With an internship, you get some extra time and you don't have any long-term commitments to make a full-time hire. If you like them you can move forward, if not you can move on.
When it comes to internships, experience is more important than pay. I have known individuals who have turned down excellent internship opportunities because they simply could not afford to work for very little pay. My advice is that the onus is on you to make it work, as long as you are getting the right experience. Any experience, and I mean any experience is better than none at all. Even if your internship is only for 2 half days a week, the learning on the job has much more developmental value than sitting in a class room.
I close with this, I fully endorse internships. If possible one should have at least a few before graduating college, starting while in high school. Nothing could better prepare you for work than actual work. Some places have formal programs, others have co-ops which offer students credit toward their graduation requirement. The rest may depend on the manager or department to make it happen. Whatever the arrangement, just remember it takes a considerable time commitment on the part of the employees to facilitate an intern, so maximize it!
Until next time remember, as long as you have life, you should live it to your fullest potential.Practical ways of becoming and remaining successful - having a visionIs work life balance really attainable?
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