Internships: What Are They?
Internships are at the forefront of many career development plans. Employers want to hire interns and students want to do them. Therefore, over the next few weeks, I will be writing a series of posts related towards internships and how to get them.
First off, I would like to start off with the question of:
What is an internship?
An internship is essentially a form of experiential education or hands-on learning. Typically, within the parameters of experiential education there are other position types that are similar in nature to internships.
Some popular types of experiential education:
- Internships: A work or service opportunity where you do work that is closely related to your academic major or career field. These can either be full or part-time opportunities.
- Co-op: A co-op is similar to an internship in its nature. The slight difference is that it is usually connected to a class or more formally structured environment.
- Externship or Shadow Program: Typically a short-term (one day to 2 weeks) opportunity to gain an understanding of a field by observing a professional at work.
- Field Experience, Service Learning or Volunteering: Often unpaid but may be in conjunction with a class room experience. Some fields such as human service or non-profit seek out individuals who show some service to their community.
Internships and their other forms provide great pathways to accomplishing quite a few things, including:
- Gain practical work experience in your college major
- Develop and expand your skills beyond the university experience
- Build stronger interpersonal and communication skills
- Make valuable professional contacts
- Explore different companies and organizations
- Evaluate different career alternatives and choices
- Test your chosen field outside of the classroom
- Boost self-confidence and professional credibility