Internship or more study?

Sometimes you may have the choice to undertake an internship or to further your studies. It can be hard to figure out which is best for you and what you should decide on. There are more experiences to gain from taking on an internship rather than continuing to study.

What is an internship?

An internship is a program that is offered and conducted by an employer to their potential employees. The concept of an internship involves enlisting someone with the right skills to be taught by professionals in their desired trade or role. In exchange for this, you agree to work for the employee for a certain amount of time. 

Interns can work full or part-time for a certain period of time. The interns will work for a certain number of months, or even a year sometimes. These programs are popular with both undergraduate and postgraduate students. They want to gain research experience and valuable work skills. Internships can be found for many different career choices such as digital marketing degrees, paralegal certificates, healthcare programs and engineering internships. 

Here are a few reasons to undertake an internship instead of studying:

Gain work experience

Having the hands-on experience that interns get is invaluable, and you cannot get it from sitting in a classroom studying. This is one of the most valuable benefits of an internship. Interns have the chance to apply what they have learnt into real experiences, witnessing up close and personal what duties they will be expected to carry out and what they may encounter over the course of a day. Learning the specialised skills of a certain field such as teamwork, communication, and computer proficiency are also taught in an internship, which will prepare the interns for the workforce.

Exploring a career path

Exploring a career path is important when it comes to the college experience. Internships are a way for students to become familiar with the field they want to be involved in. Students can study for years thinking this is the career they want to be involved in, then when they get to the hands-on part they change their minds. An internship allows students to work in the field they want, which can help them to decide if this career path is right for them. By the time the students are graduating the ones who have completed an internship are more confident that they made the right career choice.

Standing out

An important benefit of an internship is the fact that college graduates that have done an internship have more work experience already. Hence, they stand out to potential employers. A college graduate becomes more marketable once they have internship experience. They often require less training and can handle complicated responsibilities. You may get a higher starting salary than the individuals that do not have any internship experience and are heading into the workforce.

Develop more skills and refine existing skills

You can learn plenty about your weaknesses and your strengths through internships. Internships give you feedback from supervisors and those who are already established within the field. This offers students a unique learning opportunity that you may not be able to get again. You need to embrace the mistakes that you make during your internship and always ask questions and observe. Do not be afraid to take risks to help you get the most out of your internship experience. Startups looking for interns are great companies to start applying to. They can usually offer you more value than standard internships than large companies.