Is an internship necessary for you to be successful after graduation? Maybe not. Is an internship a way to set your resume apart from others and gain critical real world experience before entering the job force? Yes.  

As I began to apply for my first internship the summer before my junior year, I realized it was all a vicious cycle. I had no previous PR-related experience, yet all the applications listed “previous experience” as a requirement. I cast my fears aside and began drafting a cover letter and resume, all while scrambling a bundle of random writing samples I had submitted for school. Heading into my fourth internship this fall, I can truly say internships build not only experience but the confidence needed to succeed in any aspect of life.          

You have to start somewhere. I wanted to work in public relations after binge-watching of Sex and the City during high school, where Samantha Jones, one of the main characters works as a publicist in New York City. I quickly gained a rude awakening after my first internship, where I took reservations and served as a receptionist. But this gave me the confidence to apply for bigger and better things. I compare internships to the snowball effect: once you land your first, you keep gaining confidence and experience after each one.

You get the chance to put all those boring years of school to good use.  Remember all those 8 am classes where you thought, “When will I ever use this in real life?”  Well, I finally see the culmination of all the long hours of studying and listening. 

Within my first week as an intern at Ackermann, I was asked to write a press release, research the SEO of a company, and construct a proposal. I am a firm believer in active learning. You never truly learn a concept until you have to use it. I think I have learned more through my internships than from all of my college classes combined. 

Internships are not only an important part in developing your specific skills but also making the necessary connections to build lasting friendships and valuable networks that could later influence your career paths.  These days, it seems no matter what GPA, extracurricular activities, or even internship experiences you have listed, finding your dream job comes down to who you know.