The trend of internship has been prevailing for quite some time now. Every other university graduate (or even undergrads for that matter) are not only focused on competing for better grades, but at the same time, toiling away in their homes to write that perfect essay that could hold the key to their future.
Internship programs are not merely a craze but are becoming an increasing necessity in this highly competitive age. The job industry, with its cut-throat competition, sees only a handful of exceptionally gifted or qualified candidates make it through.
Hence, it can be said that Internship programs play the role of a crucial facilitator for students worldwide, who aspire to get ahead in their professional life and make a career of their dreams.
However, to better understand why Internships are so essential for grooming your career, it is important that we take a look at some of the reasons that make it the ‘key’ to the doorway of your (professional) success.
1. Career Preview
One of the best ways to look at Internship programs is like watching a trailer of your favorite film that is yet to be released in the theaters. Internship programs are usually of short durations (usually a few months) which gives you a brief overview and gist of how your life might be, working for the organization that you initially chose out of your desire or passion.
More often than not, I’ve come across many candidates who have experienced the complete opposite of job satisfaction while interning for their once favorite brand. They were happy about managing to barely complete the program and get their certificates.
Does that mean that Interning is a bad idea? Actually, it’s quite the contrary. Internships, provided them with a glimpse of the professional life that they could not have possibly received otherwise had they blindly gone for a permanent job role.
So, you should go for internship programs to ‘preview’ how your professional life may look like in the future with the company of your dreams.
2. Network Building
As obvious as it may sound, it is actually a very crucial aspect for shaping up your career in the long run. Networking is a skill that takes time to build but bears fruits for years to come.
You may allegorize networking to planting a seed. Just like a tree sprouts from a single seed (or a few) and over the years, through careful nurturing, it grows its branches that provides leaves, flowers and eventually fruits. Similarly, creating a relation in a professional environment with one or more influential figures in your initial years can go a long way in helping you work on different career trajectories.
Internship programs offer you the option for working in more than one organizations in a short amount of time, that too in a variety of industry of your choice. So it is easy to meet a lot of people and get relevant experience that will help you shape up your future.
3. Sharpen Your Time Management and Professional Skills
Internships help you get acclimatized to the professional environment. So, instead of focusing on just meeting your entry level targets that the organization has laid out for you (and many other interns), you should focus on honing up your time management skills.
Time management is very important for a successful career. It does not matter how good your work is if it never gets completed within the deadline. So focus on delivering the best quality of work within the specified deadline and you’ll see that you’re getting much more recognition for your efforts than your counterparts who are still trying to adapt to the professional life.
Once you get the hang of it, sharpening your work-related skills won’t take much time and you’ll quickly see yourself in the fast lane to success.
The Takeaway
It doesn’t matter which country you intend to do your internship from. At the end of the day, you should shortlist your favorite companies that you aspire to work with and apply for their Internship Programs.
In case, you are unsure as to which program or organization is the best fit for your skill-set and taste, you can opt for various Internship provider companies that have the required expertize and database of Internship programs, which can help you make your selection.