Amy Lindgren
In last week’s column I promoted the idea of stretching out a Bachelor’s degree beyond four years, to provide more time for internships or other “add-on” college experiences. My thinking, born of my own college tenure, is that the extra year or two won’t harm one’s career path nearly as much as the extra experiences will help.
So now let’s turn to internships. These can be excellent remedies for closing an experience gap for college students. Since college coursework is often theoretical in nature, internships can add the missing practical component that relates more closely to the workplace.
While extra years in college might not appeal to everyone, the benefit of extra internships is hard to overstate. However a student manages to fit them in, with internships it’s a case of the-more-the-merrier.
That could mean different internships each summer, or internships each school year, or even multiple internships at one time. If that sounds a little overboard, consider the benefits a directed work/learning experience can provide: Hands-on practice in a chosen field; the opportunity to explore different career paths; mentorship from an industry professional; potential income; work products to demonstrate in later interviews; networking contacts who could turn into colleagues; work references; school credit … it’s almost too many to list.
With so much to gain from a single internship, who wouldn’t want two or three or more? Here are some basics to understand if you’re going to pursue internships during college.
• 1. How to find an internship. For enrolled college students, it’s logical to start with your institution’s career department. This is often the first stop for outside organizations wishing to promote the internships they offer. If you’ve aligned yourself with a specific course of study, your department chair is also a likely resource.
For sources outside the college, check online internship boards and professional associations in your discipline, or consider contacting companies directly to ask if they take interns.
(To aid the search, remember that internships can go by different names, including externship, practicum and applied learning experience.)
• 2. How to structure an internship. Depending on the situation, the internship may already be structured, in which case you’ll need to confirm that the logistics will work for you. In more flexible situations, you might be choosing which days or how many hours to intern, or whether to pursue the internship on-site or remotely.
To help with these decisions, remember that networking is one of the benefits of the process — which is easier to do on-site. Hands-on learning with someone nearby for assistance is another reason to lean away from remote options when possible. In these cases, you may find that one or two full days each week works better than several half-days, in terms of commuting less.
• 3. How to afford an internship. There’s no doubt that being paid is preferable to volunteering — not to mention your budget may not accommodate training without a wage.
That said, if you can manage with a stipend, low wages, or no wages, you may find a broader range of opportunities. This will be especially true of internships you initiate by directly contacting companies of interest to you.
The truth is, internships can be costly for employers in terms of mentorship and other resources. While some states require payment, not every employer will be able to add a wage to the mix as well.
If you do go the no-pay route, a shorter, more intense burst of learning may be easier on your budget. Conversely, you might opt for just a few hours a week for a longer period, balanced by another internship or job with a paycheck attached.
• 4. How to ensure learning. Learning contracts are helpful here. Typically, they’ll state what the organization is committing to teach you while also outlining your responsibilities as the learner (for example, be punctual, dress appropriately, keep a learning log).
• 5. How to benefit from the internship. Of course, doing your best is the primary way to benefit from any learning experience. But internships are also great for providing work samples, portfolio pieces, résumé and LinkedIn entries, letters of recommendation and, sometimes, the gold standard: a job offer post-graduation.
The key to reaping these rewards is to keep them front of mind during and after each learning experience. If you keep great notes, introduce yourself to colleagues, and stay in touch after you leave, it won’t be long before you have both experience and a networking base envied by your “elders” in the field — exactly what you need to launch your career.
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Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.
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