Internships are key to success while in college

03/05/2014

By Flora Ketchum

Comment Contributor

The Internship Office is located in the Rondileau Campus Center.

To internship or not to internship, that is the question.

Many college students ponder over the question of doing an internship. Some graduate without doing one, some graduate with having done many and some, none.

However, there are a ton of positives when it comes to being an intern even though most of these positives will show up once your college career is over.

The best way to help you get a job when graduating is to have at least one internship under your belt. Employers want to see that you have experience in the field, even before you start an entry level job.

Some departments at Bridgewater State University do offer an internship class, and that is great. You should take advantage of that if you can.

I am talking more along the lines of doing an internship part-time for a year or longer. Commitment to one or two companies is going to help you get job offers in the future. You are going to make plenty of valuable connections through work as well as with other people you meet along the way.

When graduating, having a solid resume, connections, and experience is all very important. Working a paid internship at a low paying wage is going to benefit you much more in the long run than working the bartending shift that you have always been working. It is a big plunge to take a pay cut though.

Most college students are broke. We all have said that at one time or another. So why not be broke for a few years to work that internship that is going to get you the experience you need, as well as making some connections that may lead to a post-grad job offer? I say go for it.

At 18-years-old, going into my first year of college, this is something I wish someone had sat me down and said to me. I have always held the waitressing, bartending, retail, and nannying jobs.

They all have been great for me, and have given me experience in all of those fields. Now as a senior, I am struggling to get my resume together and struggling to search for jobs.

Looking back I definitely wish I took the $8-$10 internships to help me out down the road. Now that I am scrambling to piece together everything is when it all finally hit me.

So I urge you not to make the mistake I did. Instead of waitressing all summer, get an internship. Trust me, you will thank me later.

Flora Ketchum is a Comment Contributor. Editor-in-Chief Greg Dudek edited this story. Email him at gdudek@student.bridgew.edu.