I remember my internship experience while in campus just like it was yesterday. It was a local Broadcasting station and renowned one at that. I was thrilled at the chance. It all felt like a dream, even though it was only 6 months, I enjoyed every bit of it from the late nights to fumbling as I read the business news for the first time up.
When the 6 months were over, my heart sank, reality set in and at some point, I was close to falling into despair. Most people would wonder why, after all, it was just an internship, and it was one step to graduating. However, I was gutted. I often wonder how many campus students have been in a similar position, and how they cope with the end of an internship.
Here are a few reasons why longer internships are more beneficial:
1. Internships Are A Stepping Stone
In the current working environment, if your CV has no experience, it makes the hiring manager ask “Why, what were you doing with your time?” Therefore a job even a voluntary job without pay offers a young adult the chance to develop their character, gain focus and determination. Even the managers we many admire started from somewhere.
2. Internships Provide Exposure
Several job experiences help a recent graduate learn how to cope in the workplace. One is exposed to various personalities working together within one organization. A job experience can help one deal with personality clashes, and navigate the traitorous waters of office politics. Certainly, a benefit worth noting in gaining job experience is gaining more exposure.
3. Internships Build Connections
I remember as an intern, I met many people whose contacts I hoped to leverage for future opportunities.Every young adult can benefit from the chance to grow their network while working. Networking is best done while on lunch break, or better still after-hours. That said, wouldn’t it be nice if the internships were longer so that we could expand our contact base?
4. Internships Provide Practical Experience
Imagine your friend telling you something then because you were not paying attention to every word he or she was saying you misinterpret the message? Same thing with sitting in class and actually practicing what you learned. Sometimes, you may not have understood a subject well, as was my case in radio production, but the more I sat around the pros, learning the skill became a walk in the park for me which I still am conversant with to this day. If maybe I had stuck around the station for a little more time, I just might have been the next Rick Dees, right?
5. Internships Offer The Chance For Character Building
Some values like honesty, discipline, integrity are all attributes that cannot be taught in three months or a short time frame. For instance, discipline is one value that many struggle with, in the workplace.
6. Internships Offer The Opportunity To Learn
The great thing about being an intern is that nobody looks at you like the office clown for asking a question that you may have been unclear on. That is because they understand that you are trying to horn some skills. Imagine how nice that would be if you asked as many questions as you could instead of feeling like you were doing your internship all to be graded so that you could graduate?
7.Internships Offer The Opportunity To Learn Soft Skills
Interns gain the chance to learn a number of soft skills including, a positive attitude, how to deal with criticism, problem-solving and time management abilities. In this job market, the hard skills are just as important as the soft skills.