This semester, I was accepted to be a marketing intern at my town's Development Authority. It's an unpaid internship, but the benefits of working in that environment, and doing what I've been going to school to learn about for almost five years now, completely compensate for the lack of pay. I've only been working in the office and on the team for about six weeks now but I can already say that I've learned more about my future career in the marketing and business industry than I have in the classroom in my entire college career. This is not to bash my beloved soon to be Alma Mater, (Hail Southern!), but just goes to show that experience, rather than reading a text book and taking tests, can take someone so much further in their chosen path of life.

There are so many reasons I could give to encourage you to do an internship while you're still in college, but here are just 5 benefits I've come up with about why you should consider partaking in an unpaid internship. (Or internship of any kind.)

1. Most internships give you some type of college credit.

Woo-hoo, one less class to sit through!

2. You get so much experience and a chance to try out your field before you really enter the real world.

This is your chance to try out what you've been going to school for, for however many years. You'll get to see how good (or bad) you are at what you're about to be doing after graduation on a daily basis. But don't get it confused with "job shadowing". This is the real deal; make it count.

3. It's a humbling experience.

No, you're not getting paid (most don't). But, humbling yourself to work a job that you (hopefully) love, without pay is such a rewarding experience on its own. Not to mention all the letters of recommendation and real world industry contacts and connections you'll receive in the grand scheme of things

4. You get to be creative, and be a part of a team.

This may not be true with every internship- but mine has been so informative. My boss threw me right in, giving me trust to do my job. You actually get to be hands on, working on projects and relevant tasks instead of learning about definitions in a classroom. Plus, there's the whole no fear of being fired if your creative inputs are, well, less than the most innovative.

5. It looks AMAZING on a resume.

Showing you took initiative, and got experience in your field is everything to a potential employer. Any type of internship connected to your field, paid or unpaid, is an amazing opportunity to boost your resume,