From among a number of tasks that becomes important for students as they grow up is the internship that they should undertake. There is immense competition in the market and recruiters are looking for the best possible candidate so that their firm can benefit in one way or another. The literal definition of internship states that it is a program for students currently in their undergraduate or postgraduate studies in which they work for an organization, which may or may not pay them, in order to obtain professional work experience with a company.
A lot of students debate on whether or not internships affect an individual’s career in any way. The recruitment specialists of top-notch multinational corporations claimed that students who graduate with an exceptional CGPA but no or negligible internship experience is never preferred over someone with an average CGPA but a lot of corporate internship experience. Some educational institutes also encourages students to undertake social internship programs for community welfare but that is not our concern here. Our focus is on the best reasons of why internships can help shape careers and why most of the organizations give preference to candidates who have more internship experience.
Following are six reasons out of many that can clarify why internships are important for a good career:
- Practical applications of what you study: Whatever you study from the books and inside of classrooms involve so many hypothetical situations and assumptions that when you step into the real world, everything seems to be different and challenging. For this reason, practically applying what you study is necessary before you decide to take the first step towards your career. The reason why students are willing to spend time in corporate internships even when they are not being compensated is that the main aim of doing an internship should be learning and practical application of concepts you learnt and not money.In a corporate environment, you will realize that things operate quite differently than how books simplify everything. As an intern, you will have an opportunity to prepare yourself from the sudden surprise before it is too late.
- Productivity in studying: After you gain some corporate experience and continue with your undergraduate studies, you will notice that classes become more interesting. This is because you are eventually able to relate everything you study to what you had experienced or observed in corporations during internship program. The case studies that most of the professors use as a strategy to teach seems easier to solve due to the fact that you can visualize everything. This does not only enhance learning but also helps you score well in courses and improve the GPA.
- Increased chances of employability: As mentioned earlier, organizations are now focusing more on the internship experience of applicants because they want their employees to be familiar with a corporate environment even if they are fresh graduates. Apart from what the recruiters think, you will also be able to ace the interview as you have already been through the internship interview experience. You get some idea of what questions would be asked, what the interviewer expects and what things you should avoid saying or doing during an interview.
- Recognizing your own interests: Another benefit you get from corporate internships is that it becomes easier to decide what your capabilities and interest are. Internships are meant to be taken in various departments and not remaining bounded in your relevant field. As you work in various departments of an organization, you learn what the actual work is and whether you are good at it or not. It is always better to know your interests prior to initiating your career because once you graduate, it becomes difficult to shift the field.
- Develop links with people: Your degree and experience are not the only factors in deciding how quickly you get an excellent job. A survey revealed that people who have links with professionals working in various firms can get a job quicker than those who do not have the links. This is because firstly, you can get more information on vacancies if you know a lot of people in the corporate world and secondly, references are often preferred over applicants who apply randomly.
- First step of getting the job: At times, an internship becomes the path to your first job. This is because organizations never lose employees who are bringing them business, be it a full-time employee or an intern. Therefore, interns who perform exceptionally well are offered full-time jobs even before they graduate. This ensures a promising career and you will not be at a risk of unemployment regardless of the economic conditions in a country.
Author bio: Joseph Luke is an entrepreneur and stock broker who obtained his undergraduate degree in Finance. He started speculating the stock market since high school and started investing during college.
