Most of us want to have a variety of different experiences in our lifetime.  When it comes to life and work, internships are a great addition to your path in life. Internships are a wonderful way to supplement your work experiences, and one of the perfect times to pursue this opportunity is when you finish college. The next step after college is usually finding a job, and an internship is a great bridge between college and a job.

Timing

One of the easiest times to obtain an internship is right out of college, and internships are often intended for college age applicants. And for most of us, the college years are a point in our lives when we have more freedom to move around and be flexible. Something like International Internships New York could be the opportunity of a lifetime!

It may be difficult to pursue an internship later in life when you settle down and start a family or have other commitments. If the idea of traveling and seeing new places is appealing, post-college may be your ideal time to take the plunge. An internship also gives you the chance to try out job roles and see what you enjoy doing, before you settle down and start a particular career path.

Job experience

The first and foremost reason to do an internship is to gain job experience.  If you are finishing college and just entering the job force, an internship gives you an opportunity to get started with some work experience.  Future employers will be looking for candidates that have some kind of experience, and an internship is a wonderful stepping stone. Internships bridge that gap between college and a job, where you need experience and something on your resume.

If an internship is your first job, it helps to reinforce what you have learned in school, and shows employers that you are more ready to enter the workforce. Oftentimes in college, much of what is learned is not actively used, and an internship can provide the hands-on training that is truly relevant to the workplace. Here, you may find what skills are most applicable in terms of your job.

However, you can also take an internship at any point in your career, to supplement your work experience. An internship shows motivation to work and the ability to manage a work schedule. You may want to consider branching out and doing an internship in a new location from previous studies or jobs, which shows your versatility.

Skills

Regardless of the field you are in, different work experiences will provide you with varying skills.  An internship will help you add to your skillset, from interacting with different people to handling a variety of tasks in a new setting.

For example, if you get an internship working in a park, the experience could range from a large natural area in the desert, to a smaller green space in a city. A doctor’s office in a small town will be significantly different from a medical practice in a city center. You may discover new things that you enjoy doing, and just as valuable is learning about things that you are less interested in. It can also help guide you to choose a speciality in your field if you have not already.

Build your resume

An internship is a great experience to list on your resume.  It shows your desire to get more experience in your field.  In addition to the job experience, there are additional benefits, from completing projects to possibly earning college credit.  Being accepted into an internship shows maturity and responsibility, as well as other strengths, such as financial management and independence.

Networking and References

An internship gives you the opportunity to network in your field.  Meeting new people allows you to expand your network and create new connections.  An internship is also an opportunity to gain recommendations that you may need for future employment.  By networking, it always gives you the chance to open new doors and discover things that you were not aware of before. If you haven’t been in the workforce before, you will meet people during an internship.

Life experience

Taking an internship in a unique place is a lifetime opportunity.  There are many destinations to choose from, whether you decide you want to work in remote Costa Rica or in the heart of New York City. Imagine going from your regular routine to the experience of living in the Big Apple or a cloud forest. A new environment is a learning experience in and of itself, and creating memories is an opportunity in and of itself. To travel and experience a new place is an invaluable experience, and also looks good on your resume as having traveled and navigated different places.