Getting an internship can seem hard and daunting, but I would encourage those of you at any level in college to give it a shot! And here's why:
You Get a Taste of Adult Life
College is that awkward transition zone between feeling like a helpless kid and coming into your own as a mature adult. Getting an internship will allow you to be around older people and hopefully treated as an equal individual. I have an old soul, so this was an easy adjustment, but I get to learn from my older coworkers every day about how to deal with life in an adult way.
Being assigned projects and assignments helps me learn how to budget out my time in a responsible way and take accountability for my work. Working eight hour weekdays will also show you how life will be once you do get a job.
You Get to Dress in Nice Clothes
This will definitely be more fun for girls than guys, but I personally enjoy being in a business casual environment. This can also go along with feeling more like an adult. Buying more professional clothes will help once you leave college for a real job. Being able to find your summer office style is a good way to freshen things up. It's quite different from the usual comfy clothes us college students mostly wear.
You Get to Learn a TON
Probably my favorite part... you learn SO much. You get to see if where you work and what you do is really interesting to you or what you want to do. You also get to learn a lot about the company, how a company operates, as well as how to deal with different people in different parts of a company.
I had never previously heard of the company I work for, so it is nice to learn so much about what it does and what makes it all happen.
...and Get Paid for It
I know some internships aren't paid (in my opinion they all should be), but if yours is, you are in luck! It's like getting paid for having a normal job, but a lot less taxing since you are learning so much more in a more relaxed setting. I find it makes the time go more quickly, even if I'm doing busy work.
Working that much a week also means more money. Forty hour weeks add up!
You Have Week Nights and Weekends Free
When working another summer job, like waitressing, you work a lot of evenings and weekends, but these are times when I like to relax. Although getting up so early can be hard sometimes, it's worth it when I can relax during these times.
It is hard if your friends work during these times, but allows you to be with your family. It also shows you what your downtime will be like in the future.
So put yourself out there and apply! Who knows what you could learn; about the world and yourself.
