Seven Reasons Why You Should Have a Summer Internship

Whether you are majoring in public relations or physics, internships are your best friend. It does not matter whether your internship is on or off-campus, it is the experience that counts. Many college programs insist that their students have at least one internship while in their undergrad career. Have you already completed this requirement? Take advantage of having another internship while you can because there is no such thing as too much experience. 

If you have nothing to do this summer or you are just about to graduate, here are seven reasons why you should get an internship this summer.

1. Gain experience (while earning credit)
The main reason to hold an internship is to gain experiences you can’t find in the classroom. On a plus side, not only does the School of Communication want their students to gain the knowledge and experience they need before they enter the real world, but they also give us the opportunity to gain credit for our internships. And if you attended Jason Mollica’s presentation about personal branding, then you know that internships definitely help your brand expand and grow. Get that experience!

2. Build Your Resume
While you are gaining experiences during your internship, you are also building your resume.  Everything that you do that applies to your major and allows you to gain experience and learn new skills is resume-worthy.

3. Networking
Not only do you get the opportunity to gain experience, but you also get to connect with others in the work force and build connections with them. These days, it is all about who you know.

4. Decide whether you’re in the right field
Is this really the right field for you? Have you ever looked at an outfit or a pair of shoes and just know they would fit you right off the bat. No, right? You walked over to the fitting room or grabbed the right size shoe and tried it on for size. If it doesn’t fit, then you move on to another size or a different outfit. Internships work the same way. Internships allow you to gain real world experience and allow you to take the time to decide whether or not the industry you are interning in is right for you.

5. Kinesthetic learning at its finest.
Kinesthetic learning, or hands-on, is a great benefit to having an internship. Many students can learn much more outside of the classroom about the major they love and the career they want to pursue. It is a great way to obtain new skills and also to learn how things should be done in the work environment. Plus, you get to apply this learning at other experiences or even your dream job!

6) Put all your effort into you internship
Having an internship at any time of the year is great but one of the pluses of having an internship during the summer is that you can put all your focus on your internship and not having to worry about additional school work that you would have if you had an internship during the school year.

7. Being able to walk out of an interview and say, “Nailed it!”
With the knowledge you gained from your summer internship, you are two steps ahead of the other guy who decided to sleep at the beach all day. He may have had a relaxing summer, but you are more likely to land a position than he will because you gained knowledge and new experiences while having a beneficial internship this summer.


By Analita Voss