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Importance of Internships to College Students
There is something in internships that is all the more inescapable than the sweet fragrance of a rose flower – Learning. An adage suggests, “Learning is not preparation for life; Learning is life itself.” Learning in every point of life is cardinal in its own way. When students experience a continuous learning environment, they get an opportunity to explore diverse and unexplored territorial domains. What thus follows is a phantasmagoria of constructive and highly rewarding events. This eventually leads to new ideas. Internships are cherished by students and multiple internships are mandated in a few reputed organizations.
Here is a curated list of reasons why internships are important to college students −
1. Employers’ Perspective − In this ultra-competitive world where getting a job is an achievement in itself, the perspectives of potential employers and recruiters cannot be undermined. In a survey conducted by National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), an overwhelming 95% of employers opined that ‘candidate experience’ is ‘necessary’ and ‘desirable.’ In other words, when it comes to hiring candidates, candidates who have interned with startups or corporates get an edge over other inexperienced candidates.
2. Hiring Decisions and Hiring Avenues − ‘Hiring from the interns’ program has become the latest corporate fad. During their gig as interns in various corporates, interns acquaint themselves with several industry best practices. They get accustomed to the corporate environment. Internships improve the quality of candidates as they are delegated with a few responsibilities and monitored constantly. Thanks to the responsibilities entrusted to interns, creativity kicks in and candidates start giving their very best. Interns who have surpassed the expectations of their employers will be offered jobs.
3. Building Critical Professional Contacts − College students clamoring for profound change should solicit advice from experienced professionals and build a rich professional network. Students should therefore create a dedicated profile and stay in touch with others. This helps them while searching for new jobs.
4. Career Path and Career Goals − Students are generally lost in the vagaries of the so-called ‘Student life’ and hence, they begin to abandon a precise and a thorough understanding of ‘Career Path’ and ‘Career Goals.’ Once students start interning with startups or corporates, they start taking matured decisions. The concepts of ‘Career Path’ and ‘Career Goals’ no longer seem abstract.
5. Theory vs Implementation − In colleges, students seldom get an opportunity to implement and put into practice what they had learnt. On the contrary, interns gain a valuable hands-on experience by implementing what they had learnt. Internships thus helps interns to apply academic knowledge to solve industry problems.
6. Monetary Value − John Maynard Keynes, the celebrated British economist once said, “The importance of money flows from it being a link between the present and the future.” Internship is undoubtedly a voyeuristic invasion of one’s full-fledged salaried life. In other words, students get an opportunity to take a glimpse into their full-time professional lives. As interns, students are generally paid a decent amount. As full-fledged employees, they are paid even better. Moreover, ‘Earn while you learn’ becomes an actuality rather than an abstraction.
7. Intangible Benefits − There is no gainsaying that students begin to exude the joy of life by enjoying the inherent thrills of internship. They master the ability to take calculated risks. Warren Buffet, the celebrated multi-billionaire owes his wealth to his ability of taking calculated risks. On an optimistic note, students can become the next Warren Buffet. As much clichéd as it sounds confidence matters. The fantastic learning experiences as interns will bolster the confidence levels of students. Commitment to work and dedication to job automatically follow the suit. Self-confidence and self-esteem are welcome additions.
8. Resume − Internships make a student’s resume impactful and impressive. They provide the necessary momentum and fillip and eventually make their resumes all the more effective. During the hiring process, companies generally ask for references. After duly taking the permission of the Line Manager and Project Manager under whom you have interned as XXX (designation), students can mention their names and contact details preferably email-ids and mobile phone numbers in the reference section of their resume. As an alternative, students can obtain reference letters one each from their Project Manager and Line Manager. Remember, there are no better testimonies other than the reference letters drafted by the officials concerned. All in all, internships serve as resume builders.
9. Multi-faceted Traits − College students are multi-talented and multi-faceted individuals. They are extremely versatile and brilliant. By participating in various internships that are in no way related to their majors, students get an opportunity to fine-tune their extra-curricular skills. For example, a student who may be a brilliant programmer can also be an excellent content writer. He can opt for content writing internships and draft quality content.
The benefits of an internship are endless and enormous. Today an intern, tomorrow a top-notch professional!
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