An internship has now become a compulsory requirement for many things, including getting into a good college and a prerequisite for a better job. There are four types of internships in our market, namely paid, unpaid, partially-paid and research internships.

Internship are often categorised as hands-on experience, which is the most important factor of an internship. Students may feel overwhelmed by assignments, quizzes, internals, sports, or extra-curricular activities, all of which may keep them extremely busy while leaving no time to think of doing an internship. But at the same time, it is important to note that internships are a proven way to gain relevant knowledge, skills, abilities, attributes, ideas and experiences in order to establish connections between theoretical and practical knowledge. With such exposure, students can discover their potential in areas that they could then pursue for their career once they graduate, in the areas like finance, marketing, human resource, mass communication, project management, computer science (IT) and so on.

Internships are also a way to get your feet wet and find out if specific work in a specific field is something that you wish to do full-time in your future career. Interestingly, to quote Benjamin Spock, “Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do.” So, when you are going to an internship, make sure your time is likely to be utilised in a productive manner. After all, experience matters a lot. An internship will build up confidence as well as build a professional network. Indeed, no matter what opportunities you engage in, it’s important to maintain professionalism and take on individual responsibility as required in a workplace. The important thing is that you set goals and continue to work towards them.

By doing a great internship and completing more than what is required, an intern can leave an impression that will lead to a great reference letter at the end, which is something everyone should do when leaving the organisation at the end of the internship. And, of course, this may even lead to a potential job offer too.

If you are unable to land a internship, alternative options should be explored to accomplish similar goals focused on learning, no matter what they are. Finally, asking questions is key to learning during an internship and keeping yourself flexible throughout the internship will open many doors in your career.

Therefore, I would like to encourage all young students to pursue an internship, ideally during their school and college years, but even after. An internship can be a great way of learning about yourself, your capabilities and exploring your future career path.  

Wagle is pursuing an MBA at Charotar University of Science and Technology in Gujarat, India