Internship? Why would I work for free?

Working for free never sounds appealing. But, in some cases, it is a worthwhile investment in your career and professional development.

During the course of my undergraduate and graduate studies, I have completed four internships, in various fields including, state and federal government, and non-profits. Through these experiences, I was able to explore new fields, meet new people, and learn what I liked to do; and more importantly figured out what I didn't like to do.

I encourage students to do at least two internships in college.

1. What is an internship?

An internship is a paid or unpaid that job that allows you to work for a company, government, non-profit, or other organization.

2. What do you do during an internship?

Depends on the internship. Internships will typically have a description of the type of work expected by the intern.

3. How do I make the most of my internship?

From my experience, most internships are not glamorous. If the internship is in some office setting, duties will probably be administrative, including copying papers and answering the phone. Make most of your internship by asking for more responsibility and taking the initiative on tasks, so you can gain more experience.

While interning for a U.S. Congressional Representative, my initial duties entailed cutting daily newspaper articles and putting them in a folder for the Congressman. After a month on my internship, I was I was asked to collect some research a legislative issue. Rather than collecting a few newspaper and magazine articles, I did a comprehensive search in numerous periodic databases (this was before Google existed) and wrote memos summarizing my results.

After that initial research project, I was given additional research projects and excelled at them. The Chief of Staff was impressed by my research skills and asked me to work on a larger initiative. Within two months of my internship, I went from copying newspaper articles to being the Director of Opposition Research for a U.S. Congressional re-election campaign.

4) Why do an internship?

The benefits to internships are numerous. Here are a few to consider.

Explore a New Field
I studied Political Science as an undergraduate. For many years I thought I wanted a career in politics. But after interning for a U.S Congressional Representative and working on a political campaign, I realized it wasn't for me. For a short period of time, I was interested in pursuing a career in research and report writing. But after spending an entire summer working for an organization that focused on research reports, I realized I wasn't interested in doing research as a career. Internships allow you to take a glimpse of a job and industry, without the same type of commitment as a full-time job.

Job Opportunities with Internship
Internships can lead to jobs after graduation. Many private sector companies, such as consulting firms and investment banks, offer their top performing interns job offers at the end of the internship. Other organizations may be impressed by your skills during your internship and offer you a job after graduation.

References
Even if you are not interested in working for your internship organization, an internship provides you another reference for future jobs and/or internships.

Real World Experience
I have interviewed many recent college graduates for jobs and the ones that usually impress me the most are ones who did internships during school. Applicants with internships on their resumes can speak about their experiences in a comparable working environment, and provide relevant examples of why they would be successful in the job they are applying for. Compared to applicants who didn't do any internships or extra-circular activities in school, they have more difficulty giving examples and presenting a persuasive case of why they would be successful in the job.

5) How do I find an internship?

My suggestion is to go to your college career center and ask about internships in your areas of interest. Also, reach out to your academic adviser. If you don’t have an academic adviser, reach out to a professor in the field you are interested in pursuing an internship in. Of course, there are numerous websites with internship postings. You can probably use Google as starting point.