5 Important Reasons to Get an Internship in College

In this day and age, you're only doing yourself a disservice if you don't have an internship in college. Here's why they're so beneficial to your career success.

Internships are an excellent way for college students to gain real experience before diving into a full-time job. Through an internship, students can learn new skills and understand how business environments operate. Internships also provide in-field teaching moments and let students practice all the skills they learn through coursework. Unfortunately, many colleges and universities don't require an internship for students to graduate. But without work experience, it’s significantly harder to get hired after college. Here are five  reasons why an internship is a must before you graduate.

1. It looks good on a résumé

When you’re applying for a job, employers not only look at your degree but also your work history on your résumé. Internships give you the necessary experience employers want to  see from a new grad; it shows you can do the job and contribute to the company. Furthermore, it's harder to train someone with limited work experience that  doesn’t pertain to the job they’re applying for. Internships also increase your chances of getting a job right out of college. The competition is fierce in the workplace, so you’ll stand out by having internship experience.

Related: 6 Important Résumé Improvement Tips for College Students 

2. You’ll learn new skills

You learn new skills in your college classes, yes, but will you know how to use them correctly in the workplace? An internship is the perfect place for developing and practicing the hard and soft skills you need to get the job you want in the future. By enhancing your newly discovered expertise, you’ll become more marketable in the workforce. This can include learning how to manage your time effectively, communicate properly, and work with a team. An internship will give you experience in all these areas as well as the confidence in your abilities to actually do the work.

3. You can get paid with some internships

While not all internships are paid positions, you can get paid for many of them. The average hourly pay for an internship in the US is about $15 an hour. Getting paid for any job is nice, but it's better to find an internship that increases your skills in your major, which increases your chances of getting a job in your field after graduation. If you’re really lucky, you’ll find an internship that helps you gain the knowledge and experience you need to land a job and collect a good paycheck. 

Related: Summer Jobs, Internships, and Volunteering

4. It's possible to work at the business after the internship

If you've had a successful internship, you could get hired after you finish. Many companies that have  internship programs will hire from the intern pool; in fact, about 60% of paid internships lead to a full-time job. Congruently, this makes the job hunting process a lot easier for you by eliminating the need to apply. Even if you don’t get hired permanently, your chances of getting a job somewhere else increase significantly because if the internship went well, they can give you a great recommendation.

5. You’ll make new connections

Networking is crucial in any career. Meeting new people and creating professional relationships can benefit you later in life, and having many different connections gives you a pool of people to recommend you and increases your chances of getting hired at a new company. Connecting with others during your internship can also improve your communication skills and get you out of your comfort zone. You’ll establish bonds with coworkers and could even create new friendships.

Related: 11 Networking Tips for College Students Looking for Jobs

Internships are a great way for students to prepare for a real workplace environment. Having the skills and abilities of a professional gives you an edge in the marketplace. Additionally, getting paid could be a bonus! Overall, an internship makes you more desirable to employers, giving you a better chance of getting hired after graduation. Securing one (or more) in college is the first step to your future career success.

Get ready for your internship with advice from student vlogger Tanvi over on our YouTube channel!

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Justin Klug

Justin Klug is a student-athlete and digital marketing intern at Iowa Wesleyan University. He’ll be graduating in the spring of 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and returning to Iowa Wesleyan in fall 2021 to start a master's degree while working as a graduate assistant for the Narketing department. Be sure to check out Iowa Wesleyan’s College Blog!

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress
Kyla McClain

Kyla McClain

High School Class of 2024

I found CollegeXpress when you partnered with Bold.org for a scholarship. I found your website, put my information in, and got connected. I only wanted to stay in North Carolina [for college] and not move far from home, but you all opened a door up for me. I started researching colleges you suggested for me. On your social media platforms, you also give really good test-taking tips that I used and suggested others to do the same. It helped me a lot on my exams, so thank you.

Katelyn

Katelyn

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress gave me options of schools with my major and from there I was able to pick what was most important to me in a school. Everything was so organized that I could see all the information I needed.

Rayan Hamdan

Rayan Hamdan

High School Student

I joined CollegeXpress just a few months ago. I had been struggling with severe anxiety, causing me to not be able to tour schools and make sure a college would be perfect for me. I came across CollegeXpress one day when I was searching for colleges online, and it completely changed the game. I was easily able to choose colleges that would suit me, and I also entered a few giveaways! Thank you so much!

Sonny Harris

Sonny Harris

College Student

For the entire year before college, I spent a lot of time deeply considering what major I wanted to go into and how to fund my higher education. After a lot of research, I came across CollegeXpress, which helped me ultimately find a ton of scholarships for which I could apply—and some of which I received! If it weren’t for CollegeXpress, I may not have found those scholarships as they didn't appear on any other scholarship search forum. Additionally, I learned more about the options I had been considering for my major through CollegeXpress’s resources. In the end, I chose to major in Computer Science, as it seemed best suited to me and the careers in the field seemed enjoyable, and I've never been more excited to move into my future! Ultimately, I want to thank CollegeXpress for offering their services. I received enough financial aid in scholarships to fund my entire freshman year of college and even got some money refunded which I used to purchase a new laptop, and I bought all of the books I needed for the semester!

Jenna

Jenna

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me greatly during my college search. I used their college search feature often and it helped in comparing schools I was looking at. Now that I’ve found a college the scholarship search feature is helping me find a way to find my college experience. CollegeXpress has many helpful features and resources for anyones college search, it truly is a wonderful tool for anyone entering college level!

College Matches
X

Colleges You May Be Interested In

Spring Hill College

Mobile, AL

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA

Transylvania University

Lexington, KY