Flickr user Jordan Fischer
Most advice articles regarding college preparation strongly recommend doing at least one internship during the summer break before you go off to college. You may resist the idea at first—it seems a shame to have to spend the last summer before college working. Here’s why you should heed the advice and do that internship instead.
The Benefits of an Internship
An internship will help you solidify your choice of major. If you are planning on majoring in a subject related to economics, an internship in this field will help you nail down your choice one way or the other. Maybe it’s what you expected, or maybe not. It is a great way to dip your toes into a field (check out our internship ideas here).
It can be an eye-opener into what working in an office or a lab or an outdoor location really is like. We tend to glamorize certain careers without giving a thought to the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
Do at least one internship to network
You get to network with like-minded professionals. By the time you graduate, they are likely to be much higher up the career ladder and could give you an unexpected start to your career.
It instills a sense of discipline that will hold you in good stead through college. As an intern, you will be expected to punch into work on time, complete your allocated responsibilities on time, take orders from your supervisor, and much more.
Overall, an internship has a lot of value. Internships give excellent learning and character-building experience.
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