Internship – Millennials’ greatest skill-cum-asset

Let’s be honest, how many students precisely know what they wish to pursue? How many are conscious of their genuine interests, and how many are still oblivious of a gallon of available opportunities? We sure do know the answer, but we prefer to pretend that we do not. In connection to this, Internships have become an up and coming trendy term for quite some time now. What purpose do they actually serve? What association does it have with students wishing to know what they want to do? 

In this world dominated by cut-throat competition, students wish to broaden their horizons and select different ways of doing the same. Some prefer attending workshops, some take various short-term courses, and some students opt for internships. Internships have proven to be the most sorted and sought after option by students entering the industry. Many higher educational institutes have made it mandatory for students to join summer internships to complete their academic programs.  

Google tells us that any professional learning experience that offers meaningful, practical work related to a student’s field of study or career interest is known as an internship. It gives the students a taste of what it is like to be in an office environment and, more importantly, how the real world works outside of textbooks and lectures. To add to the professional work experience that internships offer, they also aid in recognizing our genuine interests and things that we are passionate about. Also, due to the short-term periods, students can explore more and more domains helping them widen their learning scope. Internships sure are not restricted to any particular classification or profession. 

In addition, many internships prove out to be a solution to the economic crunch that students and young professionals face in their day-to-day lives, given the respective financial dependence on parents for everything from fees to buying daily stuff. There are a plethora of paid internships out there that gives interns a decent stipend on their performance.  

Moreover, networking is the best new-age asset and skill that an individual can possess. Be it any field a poor network ends up hampering the growth curve of an individual. Internships come in as saviours when it concerns networking. Working as an intern not only connects you to the industry leaders and fellow like-minded professionals, it ends up pairing you up with mentors who become your beacon of guidance throughout your professional lives. Internships empower one to communicate and grow their networks for potential future collaborations, job purposes, setting up new ambitious ventures and startups and so on.  

For surviving in this highly competitive world, consistent upskilling is the way to go. So when you go for internships in your prime college years, you get a hands-on experience of professional work, which continuously pushes you through your limits, thus giving you an edge over others. Let us not forget that, very often, internships end up converting into full-time jobs if your performance stands out. 

We can find a wide variety of opportunities out there, ranging from paid internships to externships. One of the most famous among students is the credit-based internship, which is deeply associated with academic disciplines. Not only does it assist in expanding understanding in the respective fields of study, but it also provides a first-hand job overview. Another very popular internship is the summer internship because there is relatively fewer academic requirement coupled with better availability.  

Well, internships definitely provide a student with the learning space that the industry demands. So next time, before thinking twice about the opportunity to work in a professional environment, remember the world belongs to those who focus on growth rather than mere fear of change. Search for the right opportunities, get that internship and level up your professional game.