There’s no question that education is the foundation for success. But in today’s job market, on-the-job experience is valued more than education. It’s plain and simple: education just isn’t enough these days. Employers want more from future employees. They want someone who is driven, someone who is educated and more importantly, someone who is experienced.
Students are given a chance to develop real world experience by taking one or multiple internships of our choice. The experience you gain from an internship will be well worth it in the long run. These training programs are designed to teach us what can’t be taught in school. There are so many benefits gained from internships and the opportunities are endless and continue to be a learning journey.
As my senior year approaches, I stress about what happens next. But now that I’ve stepped into a world of new opportunities and learned more than I could ever imagine at Power Digital, I feel more confident knowing what my next move will be. I’m here to talk about a few reasons why taking an internship could open a door you never thought would open.
These simple reasons might change the way you think about your future career.
Why You Should Say “Yes!”
First off, ask yourself why not? What do you have to lose versus what do you have to gain? You may be surprised what you discover when you step out of your comfort zone. Just know that gaining work experience is better than no experience. Oh, and if your worried about becoming that intern you see on the movies, just know it isn’t all like that…I mean you might have to make your boss coffee everyday but hey, just make yourself a cup too. An extra cup of Joe might make you work more efficiently!
If you’re skeptical about what you want to do as far as your career goes, try and find an internship that is relevant to your field. And if you’ve been accepted for a position, then congratulate yourself for coming this far. You may as well give it a shot! Remember, a company knows you’re an intern and they will work closely with you to teach you what they feel is most important in the time you are there. The worst that could happen is that you realize that this isn’t the career path you want to take.
You should say “yes” to an internship because really, why the heck not?
Things To Ask Yourself While Interning
Once you’ve landed this wonderful opportunity, make sure you ask yourself a few questions. Give it a couple weeks before you make any decisions because it may take some time to officially get the hang of things. And once you do, you might think differently. A few questions to ask yourself include:
- Is this the job I want when I graduate?
- Is this the career I envision having for the next 30 or so years?
- Would I want to work for this company upon graduation?
- Do I like the department that I’m working in?
These questions are important to ask yourself because you don’t want to figure out you made the wrong career choice when it’s too late! A major reason why most colleges require students to intern is that students can get a better understanding of their degree and types of jobs that require this degree. It’s better to make a change sooner rather than later. I guarantee that taking an internship will open up a new door of opportunities. You’ve gained valuable experience, knowledge and discovered what to do next.
What School Doesn’t Teach You
School doesn’t teach you experience. One because it can’t and two because it’s designed to teach us the basics so that we can one day apply those methods in the workforce – that then becomes our experience. Unfortunately for students, we need experience so that we don’t start at the complete bottom after we graduate.
I have to admit that just after one week of being the Social Media intern, I learned more than I have in one semester of college. There’s a significant difference between what you learn in school and what you learn in the field and it’s important that we as students and future successors gain all the knowledge and experience we can get when we’re still young.
What I’ve Learned During My Internship
Living in the digital era, it’s inevitable that business people will need to accept that technology is our future. And I’m not only talking about using computers and the Internet, I’m talking about being able to navigate through the various social channels in a way that you can truly understand from the inside out.
As for me, just like most of us in our mid-twenties, I use Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and other social sites for personal enjoymen, which meant that l I was in for a treat when I came to Power Digital. I learned that these sites give more to us than just enjoyment. From the company’s standpoint, we’re able to take a deeper look into these channels and see whether we’re reaching our consumers effectively and efficiently. The information and data we’re able to pull from these sites is incredible. If I hadn’t come here to learn, I wouldn’t have been taught the superb logics of digital marketing in college.
Benefits Of Interning
There are so many internship benefits. Bottom line: you’re learning something new. You’re trying something that you’ve never tried before and the worst that could happen is that you don’t like what you’re doing. The benefit of that is now you’ve gained experience, have some new resume material, and can decide whether this is the career path for you. It’s a time for learning and it’s a time for networking. You’ve guided your path for your next move.
If anyone were to ever ask me if they should apply for an internship there would be no hesitation to say YES! The work experience you get cannot be provided through school. It’s a time for learning and experiencing new opportunities in life. There’s no bad outcome for taking an internship, it will only be better for you in the end. It was the best decision I ever made! Click here for more information about how to land your dream internship! Also, if you are interested in interning with us at Power Digital, check out our Charg(ed) Internship Program for more information about the opportunity! Talk to us today!