Over 35.7 million college students are enrolled in colleges as of 2017-18. One of the biggest threats which they face today is not just unemployment but also unemployability, ie, the students aren’t able to land a job because they lack the job-specific skills. To gain those skills, what is it that every college student should do today?
Something exciting and meaningful – an internship!
This stands true not just for students but also for graduates who are unable to land a job. You might have heard your friends, seniors at colleges, or cousins talk about internships and wondered why are they so excited about it. Well, an internship lets you follow your passion and build your dream career. Let me share Pratyush’s story to help you understand the ‘power of internships’.
Pratyush has been drawing and sketching since childhood. He even designed covers for his parents’ books (both are writers) when he was only 15. However, under peer pressure, Pratyush opted for Science after his 10th grade. Subsequent two years and one attempt at various entrance exams made him realise that Engineering was not for him, and he joined a design institute.
Soon after, Pratyush did his first internship as a merchandise designer. He followed it up with three more internships and gained experience in graphic design, web and social media design, and content writing. These four internships helped him discover his true love – UI/UX design for web and mobile applications – and paved way for him to land his dream job even before completing his degree. Today, Pratyush leads a team of four and is working to make learning fun for students through videos at an ed-tech startup – isn’t that amazing?
Summer is the best time to do an internship with a plethora of organisations (including startups and NGOs) hiring interns. At Internshala, we receive queries from students who are eager to know how an internship can help them. Here are the three ways in which an internship can help you:
1. Acquiring Soft Skills
Students, especially those in the initial years of college, might have limited technical knowledge but opting for an internship would help them learn to work in a team and hone their communication skills right at the start of their college. It is better to acquire soft skills as early as possible because it helps one write better reports or applications for the next round of internships. At this stage, students could opt for an internship in content writing, business development, general management, or volunteer for social causes and give back to the society.
2. Learning Practical Application Of Technical Skills
While a student is in the second or third year of her college, she might have gained a better insight of her field, and this is when it’s time to deploy those skills in a real-time environment. For instance, if you are interested in a career in programming, then intern with an organisation where you could work on the basics and learn web or mobile app development. Work on live projects and participate actively in coding challenges.
During this period, you could also start networking with professionals and influencers in your area of interest as it would open the doors of opportunity for you and help you land a better career opportunity in future. At the end of your internship, you will have a clarity on whether you want to pursue a career in your field or prepare for a career in a different field.
3. Landing Your First Job
The experience you gain from the first two internships will prepare for your dream internship. By this time, you will have a shinier resume, and you can start applying for an internship with your dream organisations. The previous experiences would also prepare you for a tougher interview process. Once you crack it and secure your dream internship, put equal effort into applying your knowledge to the assigned tasks and gaining new skills. This internship might help you land your first job as you might end up getting a pre-placement offer!
Exciting, right? Don’t just play video games, intern as a game developer. Don’t just scroll through social media, work as a social media intern. Don’t just edit your friends’ assignments, work as a content writing intern with a publisher. This summer, do an internship – I bet you won’t regret!
About the Author: Sarvesh Agrawal is the founder and CEO of Internshala.
India’s leading internship and training platform, Internshala has announced the launch of Online Summer Internship Fair (OSIF) 2018 in association with Youth Ki Awaaz as the Youth Outreach Partner. Find exciting internships with brands like Zomato, OYO Rooms, General Motors, Burger King, Reliance Entertainment, Max Healthcare, Mahindra Agri, UrbanClap, WWF, and Chumbak.
You can enroll here to be a part of Internshala’s Online Summer Internship Fair 2018.