If you are looking to build your career after college or university, you will be looking at a way of getting into work. It can be hard to get your foot in the door, especially in your chosen career, and you may have to take a temporary job in an area you may not want. However, there is a way of getting into your chosen area of work, by taking an internship. An internship can be a great way to get valuable work and life experience and may lead to the job you want. So let's have a look at some of the benefits of an internship and why it can be the perfect next step after college or university. 

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An internship is a period of work experience offered by a business, non-profit or government organisation. An internship is usually offered for a short period from 1 to 6 months or up to a year on average.  Internships can be paid and unpaid so you need to look into this before committing to the experience and this varies from country to country. You may get expenses if the role isn't paid.

Why do an internship?

There are many reasons to do an internship including gaining valuable work experience,  trying out a role, building confidence, networking opportunities, a chance of working for the intern company, and living in a new town, city or country. 

Work experience

Internships can be valuable as students are getting work-specific experience in an area of their choice or field of study and this could get them the job they want.  Areas that are popular for internships include marketing, human resources, finance, engineering, and electronics. You get specific on-the-job training that you won't get on a traditional academic degree. You will get a practical skill base, and gain experience working with colleagues and being part of a team. You will have a role to put on your CV too. 

Trying out a role

You can see how the job is in reality and work out if this job is for you. You can see the pros and cons of a specific job and find out if it matches your expectations. The reality is often different to what you expect and that can be good and bad or just different. This means an internship can be invaluable when working out if the job is for you. Just remember companies are all different so the same role in one company could be incredibly different in another. 

Building confidence

Work experience gives you confidence. This can be the confidence to put what you have learnt in a college or degree course into practice. You are highly likely already to have an interest in this field of work, so you can also put any other knowledge outside of your degree into practice.  Working with colleagues, finding out expectations and meeting them is great for self-esteem and confidence. Being part of a valuable team and getting work done builds confidence too. 

Networking opportunities

When you work in a company it's always an idea to talk to as many people as possible. You never know if these connections will give you a job opportunity in the future. Be approachable and professional at all times. Be a pleasant person to be around. Remember people move on from jobs too so they could move to a different organisation that you may be interested in, in the future, and could help you land a job there. 

Working for the intern company

If you have an internship with a company and they are happy with your work you will have a much better chance of a job offer if they have a vacancy.  You won't be an unknown quantity to them, you will already know how the company works, and what a role in the company involves, even if you take a side step and are offered a different post. 

Living in a new town, city or country