Internships - What to Look For
Guest Post by Noah Greenburg
Noah, a senior at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is an intern at a startup called FindTheBest. He is sharing his perspective as a student currently interning.
After I read “To Kill a Mockingbird” in fifth grade, I was absolutely, without a doubt, certain I wanted to become a lawyer. I joined mock trial in middle school and the debate team in high school; I even watched “Law and Order” every afternoon during the summer.
Over time I crafted a romanticized picture of my future employment as a lawyer looked like: Standing up in the courtroom shouting, “objection!” Fighting to protect civil liberties in the United States. Arguing all day. These conceptions guided my every academic choice, up until the summer of my junior year in college when I took an internship at a corporate law firm.
However, as it turns out, law and I weren’t a good fit. While interning I discovered that attorneys have to be detail oriented, but I am a ‘big picture’ person; I enjoy creative writing, while the law requires a technical approach; I like to sleep. The law never does. But, I would have never known about this incompatibility, had I not taken the internship.
This cursory exposure saved me $100,000 on a law school education that I would have hated and also taught me some valuable lessons about myself. Needless to say, taking an internship, before you embark on your career path, is an essential part of your professional preparation.
When searching for and choosing an internship, think over these considerations:
What To Look For?
- Does the internship align with you professional goals? Obtain an internship in the professional setting you’ve forecasted for yourself. Doing so will help you decide if you like the environment, the types of people, and the work to which you’ll be doing.
- What is the company like? If you’ve got your sites set on a specific internship, at a specific company, make sure you ask questions like: What are the odds of getting a job there after the internship? Is it a casual atmosphere or very professional? Do you agree with the company’s mission? Is there room for upward mobility? Will you be doing administrative tasks, and getting coffee, or will you get some hands on experience?
- What do former interns say? Talk to others that had the same, or similar, internship before you. Ask about their experiences, specifically: Their feedback about the role, the specific tasks they performed, the work evironment and possible job opportunities after. Talk to your college's career counselor to see if they can provide names of former interns to contact.
- Money or college credit?Most internships offer some sort of incentive – whether it’s a pay check or college credits – so don’t be afraid to
ask for it. However, don’t reject the internship just because it doesn’t pay; sometimes being professionally associated with a brand
(like Google or Facebook, for example) is enough incentive, as it looks great on a resume when applying for jobs or
grad schools in the future.
- Is there a high-paying job in your future? Research the projected salaries in the industry you’re considering for an internship. With the economy the way it is, particularly if you have student loans to pay back, the projected growth and salary of the job you want are important considerations when hunting for an internship.
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