Interns work on relevant projects, learn about the field and develop hard and soft skills. Some internships even lead to full-time positions.
The number of hours an intern works generally depends on the time of year that they’re interning. Fall and spring internships are typically part time and occur for the entire semester, which is four to five months. Summer internships may be 40 hours per week over the course of 10 or 12 weeks.
Reasons to do internships
Gain work experience
Internships give you the opportunity to gain real-world experience and develop valuable skills related to the workplace or your specific major before or after graduation.
Regardless of whether your internship directly relates to your ultimate career path, any professional experience can help you develop valuable workplace skills that can make you a more desirable candidate for potential employers. For example, if you want to be a news anchor, you may intern at a news station while you’re in college.
Network with people in the industry
Through internships, you have the opportunity to network with people in your industry and develop new connections.
For example, if you’re pursuing a job in IT, developing a strong working relationship with the IT manager at the company can help you find a new job later. Even if they aren’t hiring in their department directly, they may have a professional connection who can help you find a job.
Add qualifications to your resume
A strong resume with real-world experience can give you a competitive advantage over other candidates when you’re applying for openings. You can emphasize the soft and hard skills you obtained as an intern and discuss the projects you worked on and the contributions you made to the company that hired you.
For example, as a social media intern, you can note on your resume that you created content that boosted online engagement. Potential employers may appreciate that you’ve applied your classroom knowledge to a real work setting.
Develop time management skills
Your internship may require you to complete tasks on deadlines, which can improve your time management skills. You can learn how to create checklists to organize your workday and prioritize tasks so you can meet your supervisor’s expectations. Developing time management can qualify you to fulfill a full-time position in a field that you’re studying as a college student.
Receive helpful feedback
Professionals at the company where you intern may offer positive feedback that can help you strengthen your abilities.
For instance, if you use a software program for the first time, the employees may explain to you how to better use the features so you can handle the task more efficiently. Apply the feedback to your future endeavors so you can continue to broaden your qualifications in your chosen industry.
Reference: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/why-do-internships
