Do internships really help college students step up their corporate careers?

Oh, college! Isn’t it the best time of your life? Everything you dreamed of? Like living away from home for the first time, having the freedom to explore who you are, meeting people from all across the country, experimenting with different lifestyles, going to exciting parties and yes, also, studying occasionally. Life in college is cool, and carefree. And things tend to stay that way for a good amount of time. But remember, time flies when you’re having fun. So if you’ve spent your whole college life chasing excitement, you might find some of it starts to slip away in that final year of college when you see all your friends getting placed as the corporate world comes knocking. Especially when it’s your turn for placements, and the interviewer asks all those questions you have been evading during your college years.

It’s a competitive world, my friend! Today’s big corporate firms hire only the best, whether it’s for an entry-level job or a top-rank position. People who have experience, training, or some prior knowledge of the job role will always be picked over total newbies. But don’t worry. We’re here to tell you how you can get an edge over others when it comes to landing your first job. Simply work to accentuate your resume with internships during your college life to step up your career game even before you enter the corporate world.

But what really is an internship? Is it just fetching coffee and making photocopies like the movies show? Well no. Not if you make smart choices. The ideal internship will allow you to work in the desired field of your choice for a small period of time to gain valuable experience. Sometimes this may be unpaid but trust us, it’s never a waste of your time! During your internship, you’ll get hands-on training to learn how to apply your area of study to solve real world problems. Not fully convinced? Here’s how they can truly help you:

A Chance for Real-World Experience

Let’s be real – the one thing you remember from all those years of high school science is that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Well, even in college, the content you’re delving into in class may not be directly relevant to a job scenario. Often, what you study and what you end up having to apply in your work life are totally different things. That’s where an internship can really give you a boost. Internships provide you a platform to test-run your knowledge. You get to learn which part of your syllabus is actually needed in the industry and what’s not. Now that’s the kind of helping hand your learning curve deserves. And don’t forget about the exposure either. Your life in your college and hostel in Dehradun or Ahmedabad may be really great, but it only gives you access to a small, localised reality. Through your internship, you can explore a much more diverse, often global, perspective and learn a lot more about your field beyond what the classroom teaches you.

A Place to Network and Learn Work Ethics

You learn to walk before you run. That’s why internships are a great place to pick up the first steps in networking. You get work to work with senior managers, team leads, and other departments. And if you work hard enough, you may even get to know what goes on in the top exec’s offices. Networking during this stint can help you set up long term professional relationships that may benefit you even after your internship is over. This is also a great opportunity to learn work ethics. After all, good grades don’t mean you’ll be a great employee. So you can use your internship to pick up cues on how to act and respond in a new culture. You won’t regret working on these values either – recruiting personnel really dig these qualities during interviews!

You’ll Get a Reality Check

If we’re honest, we all enter college with a lot of idealistic dreams of what life will be after these three of four years. Some of us have vague ideas of the kind of job we’d want after graduating, while others have hopes of career miracles coming through. But when we enter a workplace at last, often the reality falls short of the dream. Whether that disappointment is due to the nature of the role itself or to do with your own interests, it’s best to find out as early as possible so you can shift course. So an internship is a great platform for you to introspect and work out your own strengths and weaknesses as well as delve into what interests you. No more existential angst necessary. After you’ve dabbled with a few internships, you’ll be able to answer all those crucial questions – How good am I for this kind of job? Is this really what I want to do? In short, internships will set you on a career path that you can thrive in.

You Might Get a Job Offer

This is undoubtedly the best thing about internships (and what most final-year students pray for)! Your internship will probably last for a short period of time. But if you’re consistent, hardworking, invested and display a high quality of work, those few months could soon turn into a full time job offer. Keep in mind that this may not be the case in every company, but you’ve definitely got a higher chance of cinching employment if you’re an exceptional intern.

And that’s our list of reasons for you to take up an internship and get a leg up in the corporate race. And don’t let being in a new city stop you. Whether you’re in Dehradun or Pune, Ahmedabad or Coimbatore, there’s an internship at a company that’s just right for you. All you have to do is find it. And if you have logistical concerns like where to look in a new city, where to stay when your college dorm closes over the summer, how to manage your travel expenses during your internship, don’t worry. If you opt for a professionally managed accommodation provider like Stanza Living, they’ll sort you out. Their residences come with a first-of-its-kind community engagement programme, exclusively available to Stanza residents. Your corporate dreams can definitely take flight with their access to an exclusive collection of online courses, personality enhancement programmes, skilling classes and, yes, corporate internship opportunities. So don’t let anyone stop you on your path to corporate glory. Bag that internship and make the most of your college experience!

Do internships really help college students step up their corporate careers?

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