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For those of you who are mid-way through your freshman, sophomore, or junior year, hopefully you have considered getting an internship. Internships are basically a glorified way for a lot of companies to get cheap labor from qualified college students. Internships are also used as basically a long-term interview to decide if the company wants to make a full-time offer. This sounds a lot grimmer than it is, and there are a lot of great reasons to consider an internship. In the next few paragraphs I will discuss many of the aspects involved with why you should get an internship.

1. Test the Industry. Getting an internship is a great way for you to compare what a job, career, or industry is like rather than simply relying on your classes. You may have enjoyed accounting 101, but you might find doing tax returns or auditing is not your cup of tea. A friend of mind was majoring in Spanish and education. After 2 years of taking these classes she spent a summer interning as a teacher’s assistant and quickly realized a simple fact. She did not like kids at all! While yes this means 2 years were wasted, but isn’t it great she test drove the car before she bought it? Otherwise she might have graduated, started her career, and realized very quickly she was miserable.

Another positive is that you are getting to work in a regular job that often has superior pay. You are not making pizzas, selling clothing, or bartending. Most internships will have normal working hours so you are done by 5 and at worst 8. You also don’t wear a crappy uniform, and will often either be at a desk with a computer, or depending on your internship doing interesting and active work. Along with this you will typically make much more than minimum wage and you are not dependent upon tips.

2. Discover Job Options. Internships allow you to see how varied the jobs are that your major might provide. I am a finance major, and the number of jobs that a business degree (and finance major) can lead to is huge. Investment banking and financial advising are as dissimilar as a teacher and a doctor. These are just two simple possible jobs out of dozens that are possibilities and it is hard to know any of these things without getting a little real world experience. Learn what options you have!

If you are ambitious you might apply for and accept an internship in another part of the country and discover if you enjoy a different region or city over your current location. I interned in New York City this past summer. Being from Arkansas, this was a great opportunity to get to live up north, on the coast, and in a major city, without the strings attached of actually moving there. This is a gift! Take advantage of it. Only with an internship can you try out not only the company but every aspect of the job without any strings attached. You don’t have to come back. You don’t have to accept. And no matter what happens your resume looks better than it did before. I learned that the winter there might be a little to cold for me, but I couldn’t have loved the city more. Another aspect to look into is what type of company and environment do you enjoy? Is a large corporation or a small company your type of work place? Do you like suits or are you more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of person? These are all things you can discover during an internship.
3. Gain skills and Work Experience. If you are lucky you will gain skills in the area you will soon be working rather getting coffee and making copies all summer. Life as an intern can vary greatly by the type of company. I have many friends that spent there summer getting ignored by all full time workers. They filed, made copies, grabbed coffee, and spent a good portion of their day playing of facebook out of boredom. I had a job at an accounting firm where rather than working on the tax returns as promised, I did “bitch” work. I made copies, filed, vacuumed, washed dishes, and took out the trash. That was a good day. On a bad day I spent 2 hours at the grocery store getting my bosses groceries, picked up her kid from school and basically baby-sat, until she got home. I picked up cigarettes, ran errands, and it was the worst job I ever had.

On the other had, I spent a summer working in NYC for for a large investment bank. When I arrived I was immediately made to feel like an equal and a part of the team. I had general training about the company, then specific training on my group, their function, and the roll I would provide. I never made a copy or grabbed someone coffee. I was given mass amounts of responsibility immediately. I put out memos and reports to senior management. I worked on major projects with my team, and also made major contributions in several other areas. I was invited to attend all meetings, conference calls, and presentations. I also had tons of fun with company sponsored and paid for events. There are as many types of internships as there are companies and no two experiences will be exactly alike.

4. Resume Builder. At one time, an internship was something that set you far apart from the crowd. In today’s competitive environment they are a virtual requirement. Without at least one internship, and preferably several, your resume will just not stand up to the competition out there. The number one reason for the most ambitious students to get an internship is for your resume. Future employers love internships, especially if you interned in the industry you hope to work in. An internship is an instant leg up on sub-par competition. It shows you focused and dedicated to working in your industry. It shows you are willing to work and that you have a good idea of what you are getting yourself into. I

f you are lucky it could mean having a very stress-free senior year. The new trend in most industries is to do the bulk of the company’s entry-level hiring through the intern program. Because why would anyone want to spend thousands recruiting and training interns if not to hire them full-time. Because let’s be honest, they are spending much more on you than you are contributing. So the number way to get a job is with an internship. As I’m graduating this year, I have seen many of my friends be able to enjoy the year, knowing they have already accepted a job.