Internships, oh internships. It’s one of my favorite topics to talk about, and for good reason. The internships I had completely changed the trajectory of my life and I owe my current standing and well-being to what happened one summer back in 2013. Internships are an important topic of discussion for Skirts and Blouses and its one that I will revisit often. To start, I will lay out the reasons why you absolutely need an internship and should do everything in your power to position yourself to obtain one. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Why You Need an Internship and Shouldn’t Graduate Without One
- Companies hire applicants with experience. The number one complaint I hear from recent college graduates is “I’ve been applying to jobs in my field but they all want people with experience and I don’t have any. I just graduated!” My thoughts? Being an undergraduate is not an excuse. This is precisely what internships are for – to give you experience before you graduate. Without an internship you are unproven and untested. When a company hires you, they are making an investment to get a problem solved. Period. Companies are made up of people – and people are weary about taking chances on things that do not have a track record. Would you go to a doctor that hadn’t passed his board exams? Or a lawyer that hadn’t passed the bar? Recent college grads are mistaken in thinking that they deserve an opportunity just because they have a degree. Guess what? You don’t! (Ouch!) Want to know a secret? Most entry-level job postings that have a 1-2 year experience requirement are not solely looking for applicants with that exact experience level. 1-2 years is code language for “Junior Resource”. There’s nothing more junior than a recent college graduate with internship experience.
- You need to see what you actually like doing. This one is vital and is not given enough credit. As young people, we tend to be a little naïve and foolish when it comes to contemplating the future and making decisions that will impact it positively. When I was an undergrad, I was completely unconcerned with internships and obtaining one. I knew it was a good thing to have but I didn’t really see the necessity and purpose behind obtaining one. I was more concerned with God, my boyfriend, finding myself, being involved in my sorority, and maintaining a good GPA. When I finally did obtain an internship, my summer on Wall Street, I met dozens of peers who were just like me but on their third or fourth internship. It completely blew my mind. I remember specifically talking to one guy who said “The summer after my freshman year I worked as a summer analyst for a consulting firm. That was fun but I hated the travel. My sophomore year I worked for IBM in their accounting department. I loved the company culture there but accounting was too boring for me. Now I’m on Wall Street exploring investment banking but surprisingly, I think I want to do consulting when I graduate. So that’s what I’m gonna focus on interviewing for.” I was completely blown away and somewhat I was extremely thankful for the one great internship I landed but was saddened at the reality that I’d missed so many key opportunities to find out what I truly liked. Because I waited until the very last summer before I graduated to intern, I did not have the opportunity to explore different fields, careers, and companies like most of my peers did. In the end, everything worked out. I managed to navigate the corporate world fine and ended up in positions that brought me true fulfillment. However, I can only imagine how much easier my decision making would have been if I would have taken the opportunity of time to figure out and understand what I like and don’t like. This is some of the most empowering information you can have. People spend years at companies and in positions that they hate. It takes people years to figure out things about themselves that one college undergrad figured out in the course of a summer.
- On-campus organization involvement does not prepare you for the working world. This is another really painful truth to face. It’s painful because some of the most involved and leadership-prone college students you know have the hardest time obtaining employment upon graduating. Unfortunately I’ve seen this scenario play out far too many times. The Student Government Senator/United Way Treasurer/Economics Club Membership Chair/ Student Activities Coordinator/ Orientation Leader model student graduates to enter a working world that he is unprepared for and lacks the skillset to land a job in. Let’s call this student Bob. Bob is a leader. He’s involved. He’s known around campus. He’s a people person. School administrators and students love him. He’s known across social circles. He looks like he’s destined for greatness because he’s always doing something. As great as it is to have extra-curricular activities on your resume, if these are the only things on your resume you are in big trouble. The truth is, Bob is only preparing himself for a career in Student Affairs. Most of the students I know that did this ended up taking one of two paths. They graduated, was unable to find a job in their field, so they returned to school, convinced that they needed a masters to get into their field. (Why spend more money on schooling when the first round of school hasn’t paid off? I’ll share my thoughts on that another time.) The second path is that Bob graduates and starts working in Student Affairs. In other words He sticks around and starts getting paid to do things that he’s already been doing for free. For some, this is a dream come true. They loved being involved on campus and a career in Student Affairs allows them to maintain that role after graduation. But for most, this is just a cop out. A fall-back because they can’t get a job in their field. No one spends four years studying accounting/psychology/economics/etc. only for it to amount to a job doing what they were already doing. The real issue with only having campus involvement on your resume is that it neglects to show what value you will bring to your potential company in your field. Companies want to see that you can solve problems. Having an internship provides you with the experience you need to show that you can learn, adapt, and solve problems outside the classroom. On-campus involvement only shows the ability to work in a group setting. It tells your future employer nothing about your ability to succeed in a work place with real consequences and deadlines in front of you.
So as you can see, I am a true believer and evangelist for internships. An internship changed by life nearly six years ago and I will continue to share the good news to those came after me. If you are an undergraduate and need help finding an internship, feel free to email me (Camille@dressesandblazers.com) or check out the Resources page for more information.
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