Until Monica Lewinsky became the most famous intern in history, most people viewed internships as the first opportunity for high school and college students to gain work experience and explore career opportunities. Well, perhaps Ms. Lewinsky did gain a valuable “hands-on” experience as well as having a close interaction with the Chief Executive. In that regards, her internship was similar to many internships that offer an opportunity for you to become familiar with the organization and work with the President.
Jokes aside (besides I ran out of material), exploring an internship is a great way to gain valuable experience while becoming familiar with an industry. On any given moment, there are literally thousands of internships available to students of all ages. Unlike a part-time job, an internship should be viewed as an educational process—something to enhance your resume and enable you to get a better position upon completion of your education. A good starting point is www.internship.com. However, you need to bear in mind that they list standard internships which may be great but there are literally thousands (perhaps millions) of jobs that aren’t listed.
All internships can be broken down to one of four categories.
Co-operative programs are internships where you may receive school credit. Some national colleges such as Northeastern University require its students to enroll in a co-op program. Some of these are paid but generally you will be offered below market wages. The benefit of such a program, though, is that you will have a leg up on your competition as you apply for jobs. And the likelihood of your role within the co-op sponsor becoming a full-time position is more than likely.
Non-paid internships are generally non-paying. Otherwise, they would be called something else. I did some thorough research to find a shocking result. All non-paid internships don’t pay its staff!!! Jokes aside, these internships generally provide a good education. The employer’s logic is that you get to learn on the job for free because what the company has to teach you is so valuable. The logic is faulty at best but you will learn. Most entry-level internships in media, communications, and research are of the non-paying variety. Some of these will pay a stipend. A stipend is a generous way to state that they won’t pay you minimum wages.
Paid-internships can be broken down to government subsidized internships (such as Work-Study grants) and the normal kind. Most research, government, and educational opportunities will provide work-study internships. Unfortunately, these are opportunities for those with financial needs.
Now let’s talk about all the good internships that will pay you lots of dough, gain you great work experience and provide you an opportunity to meet and network with people in the industry. All companies, no matter what they say, are looking to hire good and smart young people because they are cheap and willing to do whatever it takes. Attempting to find these internships is similar to looking for a real job. You have to do basic research with the same web and offline sources such as www.jobtrak.com, www.jobdirect.com, and go to career fairs and stuff. Visit the company’s website or call the toll-free number to request more information. Find out the person in charge of recruiting and send a cover letter and resume. You may also want to write a letter to one or two of the employees working at the firm stating that you would like to know more about what they do and what you can do to enter the field. The odds are great that they would be flattered and willing to spend 15 to 30 minutes with you. In the process of this networking, you may find out more about the opportunities.
Don’t equate an internship as something that you do to make money. See it as the first step towards a career that you want. Approach it as if it is your real job search because it really should be. When you do that, you may find yourself going places that you never dreamed of. Just don’t go to places or be in situations like Ms. Lewinsky.
