Internships for Community College Students Have Many Benefits With Opportunities You've Yet To Consider...
Although most students are aware of the fact that internships are available through their community college campus or area businesses in general, many do not understand all that can be gained by pursuing and landing these positions. And since you've probably got a lot on your plate already, what with full-time classes, homework, a part-time or full-time job, and possibly even extras like activities or charity work that will help to round out your transfer applications, you might not be too keen to jump into yet another obligation. But the reasons behind some of these drains on your time could be met by an internship. So here are a few of the benefits that come with taking on an internship while you're in community college; you might just find that it's worth a lot more than you suspected.
The biggest reason to go for an internship is the experience it provides. Not only will you have the proverbial feather in your cap when it comes to your résumé; you'll also have the opportunity to learn from people who are working in the industry you'd like to enter. This is a chance to network with prospective colleagues (who could help you to land jobs down the road) and get an inside look at the inner workings of the industry you've chosen for your career. This sneak peak could be invaluable to students that have only a vague notion of what types of job they might actually be interested in. It's fine to say that you want a degree in business with a specialization in music, but you might not have the slightest idea if you'd rather interface with talent, control production, or sit in a recording studio and adjust levels all day. Auditing a real-world operation can help you to decide.
But there's a lot more to it. Many internships are unpaid, and these will provide you with college credit in exchange for the hours you work rather than the standard paycheck (so that's one class off your schedule). This could pose a serious problem, however, for students that really need the money that comes with holding a job. Trading that in for an unpaid internship just might not be an option. In this case, there are companies that offer paid internships. The reasons for this are generally that they don't want the additional liability that comes with having students in the workplace, not to mention the strict regulations that govern what unpaid interns can and cannot do by way of performing in the office setting. You may be able to find these opportunities through the campus, but it's far more likely you'll have to seek them out on your own by checking the online job boards of businesses you're interested in or calling to speak to an HR representative.
Finally, every internship comes with the possibility of a job offer down the road. While companies cannot guarantee that they will hire students upon completion of their internship (usually over the course of a semester), it is often in their best interest to do so. They've already lost money on training you, so why would they spend more to train someone else? In addition, your inexperience (and probably limited availability) works in their favor to some extent since they can almost certainly offer you less money than a seasoned professional would accept. Plus, you may be in consideration for a job after you graduate, rather than immediately following your internship. At the very least, the contacts you make now could result in references or even job opportunities later on (provided you make the effort to nurture these professional relationships).
You may have to get your masters in nursing online or receive your business degree from a 4-year school before a company will consider hiring you. But if you do well during an internship you could put your name at the top of the list for consideration once you do obtain a certificate or diploma. In short, there's almost nothing to lose when you take on an internship, especially if you seek out options that meet your criteria for benefits.
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