The Value of an Internship

Happy National Engineers Week! In an effort to create something for STEM professionals, specifically engineering students, I asked engineers I know, "What is one thing you wished you knew as an undergrad about finding a job right out of college?" The fortunate thing is I have a couple of engineers in my very close group of friends and their answers were very blunt and honest about their struggles and what they undervalued or didn't realize would matter down the line. All of their answers condensed and boiled down to one theme... internships.

NOTE: Though I will focus on engineering aspects, much of this information will be relevant to many students in technical career paths, accounting, marketing, etc.

Internships are more than just getting coffee. Pursuing and obtaining an internship help students for a variety of reasons that aren't always immediately evident.

Technical Skills

During your collegiate career you are given a well-rounded education. You have your core classes (literature, history, science and math) and you have your relevant career courses (ex. for engineers, thermodynamics, circuit design, lasers and fiber optics, etc.). These courses focus on the overall concepts, formulas, and theories. All of this knowledge builds a great base to analyze and build from in your role as a professional engineer. What isn't discussed in these courses is the day-to-day of an engineer.

An internship will give you the practical knowledge you will need to succeed. Your internship will give you exposure to software systems that are being used in real time. Some systems are critical for daily operations depending on your role, for example CAD, a 3D modeling software, many manufacturing engineers use, or a more complex knowledge of Excel for data analysis. Again, these systems may be briefly mentioned and may even used in some college courses, but not to the extent of practical uses of what an engineer would do on a daily basis. Other practical knowledge you are exposed to is safety regulations and procedures. Depending what type of engineering role you may take on, you will be exposed to potentially dangerous environments if the safety policies and procedures are not followed. Having exposure to these types of environments prepares students for real world situations.

Cultural Exposure

The other critical role of internships is cultural exposure. What does that even mean? Well, corporate culture and industrial dynamics could be similar in ways you didn't expect to college social dynamics, and they could also be very different at the same time.

Internships give students real world exposure and experience with the culture of the working world. You will have to report to someone. You will have to deal with coworkers. You will get exposed different working styles. You will get exposed to different communication styles. You will be exposed to the time spent in front of a computer, project, or lab depending on your specialty. Many recent graduates that do not have any prior internship or working experience can be overwhelmed by the "culture shock".

Getting Hired

An internship increases the odds of getting a job right out of college. One obvious path is getting offered a full-time position from an internship employer. They know how you work, how well you did the work, and how well your personality fits in with the team.

The other path for employment from an internship is the traditional apply and interview. How does an internship help in that respect? Hiring managers will see that you have practical experience as an engineer. A properly written resume will show what software and systems you have used in your previous internship and what type of tasks you were given. Having an internship will also show hiring managers that you are aware of the potential culture in the "adult world", reducing the likelihood of a cultural mismatch. An internship will also potentially provide professional references you can use during the interview process. So make sure to make connections with your superiors and coworkers during an internship.

College students, start looking for an internship if you don't have one, and take in all you can if you do. Learn from the environment. Learn from your coworkers. Learn from your boss. These lessons will help you develop faster and more efficiently.

Do you have internship? Working professionals, did you have an internship? How did it help?

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This post was sponsored by Stallion Consulting Group, LLC. Stallion Consulting Group provides one-on-one coaching and also partners with companies to improve their recruiting processes.

#JobSearching #Internships #Resume #networking #References