Quintessential Careers Press: The Quintessential Guide to Finding and Maximizing Internships Introduction: Why Internships are Important Page 3 You'll gain confidence. If you're afraid of facing the work world when you graduate, an internship will teach you that you can do it. You'll build motivation and work habits. All that freedom you gained when you left home for college may have caused your motivation and work ethic to slip. You might be skipping a few classes, missing assignments, or building a class schedule that doesn't require you to get up early. There's nothing like an internship -- where you can't slack off if you want to succeed -- to instill in you the workplace characteristics you'll need after you graduate. You'll build your network. Everyone you meet in an internship is a potential contact for your network and someone you can call upon for advice and referrals when you are job-hunting closer to graduation time. You will build your resume. Any kind of experience on your resume is helpful, but career-relevant internship experience will make a better impression on employers than your serving job at Applebee's. Growing numbers of colleges require internships, reports Zinman. If they're requiring them, they must be convinced that internships are important. Similarly, studies show increasing numbers of students are completing internships. A study released by Vault.com shows that almost 9 out of 10 (86 percent) college graduates reported completing at least one internship, and more than two-thirds (69 percent) reported completing two or more internships. Presumably these students know that internships are valuable for all the reasons listed here. Previous Page Next Page Back to The Quintessential Guide to Finding and Maximizing Internships Index Page