Internship is a good career move |
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From a practical point, "If you've done a good job, you've got a network that will help you when you need a job," says Gary Gordon, co-author of "Criminal Justice Internships: Theory Into Practice," and professor of economic crime management at Utica College. "It's always easier to find a job if you're inside than if you're outside."
Not all internships have the same value when it comes to your future career.
"Look for upward mobility," says Coplin. What you don't want: the same job, with no advancement, two or three years running.
When it comes to the number of internships, "the more the better, particularly if you can get different experiences," says Reeher.
Check or no check?
Which is a better step for your career: a paid or unpaid position?
Sometimes industries or organizations may rely on the fact that the profession is perceived as "glamorous," or that internships are highly prized, as reasons to avoid paying interns. That can mean that kids shouldering many of their own expenses often have to forgo those opportunities.
But attitudes about pay also depend on the profession. In some, offering an unpaid internship can reflect badly on the company -- and the intern who takes it. In others, running copies or answering phones for free is the price you pay to get in the door.
Generally speaking, "paid is better than nonpaid," says Coplin. Many times, you might be taking an unpaid internship in your freshman or sophomore year so that you can line up a paid opportunity as a junior, he says.
In a field like architecture, where internships are required and typically command a salary, paid is better, says Kim. "It might be hard to justify a salary if they know you worked for free," she says. Plus, in the architectural field, "an unpaid internship is a red flag."
On a more practical note, if a firm "is conscientious about developing interns, it's probably going to pay them," she says.
In Washington, political internships will likely be unpaid, says Reeher. These days, people are taking "post-college internships without pay, just to get their foot in the door on Capitol Hill," he says.
"In the private sector it's mostly paid, in the public sector it's mostly unpaid," says Rebovich, who says that in New York, his students are typically earning $15 to $20 an hour with internships.
A salary level like that often insures that students can afford to select the internships that will most advance their careers, regardless of the organization's location.
"What that does is open opportunities that would not exist if they had to stay near campus or their own hometown," says Gordon.
Another important consideration with internships: What does the
business really want? Sometimes, an organization just wants extra
hands on board during the summer. Other times, the internship is
really a tryout for a job or post-grad career training program.
Internships can also help you weed out bad job or career choices early, which saves time and money, and maximizes your odds of success.
"One of the main values of an internship is to help you decide you don't want to do something," says Coplin.
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