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Why is it so important that I do an internship?  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sheryl Swingley
Ball State University
 
Question
Why is it so important that I do an internship?
 
Answer
More and more college students are discovering the value of doing internships, and if you want to have a career in marketing or advertising, you need to complete at least one internship before you graduate. Those students who do internships know that such experiences open doors for future opportunities and make it easier for them to start their career after college graduation. 
The National Association of Colleges and Employers' annual Experiential Education Survey reports that an average of 64 percent of interns received job offers from their internship sites during the five-year period of 2004-2008. In addition to networking, completing internships might be the best job searching strategy available to you. 
Some marketing and advertising programs require their students to complete at least one internship for college credit. Others do not. Whether your program requires an internship, you should prioritize doing at least one internship and preferable two while you're in school. Try to find an opportunity after your sophomore year and then again after your junior year. A growing number of students also do a postgraduate internship. 
I discourage you, though, from waiting to do your first internship during the last semester of your senior year or after you graduate. When you put off that first internship, some professionals might question your commitment to your career.  
I had an internship supervisor write in an intern evaluation, "I don't know if I would employ another about-to-graduate senior who hasn't had an internship yet. Great interns have a passion for ... , and students who go through four or more years of school without testing the professional marketplace likely don't have that drive." 
No matter what the economic climate is, employers want go-getters and graduates who managed their time well while they were in college. Do that first internship as early in your college career as possible. 
The primary benefit of an internship is that it gives you a chance to practice what you've learned in class. Too many students don't get involved outside of their classes. They go to class, read about their profession and take tests. At least most marketing and advertising courses also require students to do projects. That's good, but I can assure you that projects that earn an A in the classroom aren't usually ready for the "real world." Having to redo and redo work is one of the greatest challenges that students on an internship have to learn to deal with. Interns on the job learn quickly that when they think they are done with a project, they are about halfway there. 
Another discovery interns make on an internship is how often bosses change their minds or how often projects take new twists and turns. These challenges are new experiences for most interns.  
Another challenge might be the number of hours you're expected to work. One of the funniest things an intern ever said to me was that college hadn't prepare him to work 40 hours a week. I hope you'll have a paid internship that works you 40 hours a week. Internships should give you a representative picture of what to expect in the professional world. 
Bottomline, marketing and advertising majors need to figure out how to practice what they hope to do as a career outside of the classroom.  One of the best ways to get practice is through an internship. Compare yourself to an athlete. You have to practice to maintain and enhance your skills so that you can get in the game – and stay there.  
During an April 26, 2009, interview with CNN's "GPS" host, Fareed Zakaria, Malcolm Gladwell, the author of a number of bestselling books, The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers, said, “Talent is the desire to practice.” 
Do you have the desire to practice? If you're a talented young marketing or advertising student, you'll practice. You'll do internships. 
Start looking for internships today. Be on the lookout for internships at all times. 
Finally, if your marketing or advertising program has an internship coordinator, make an appointment to meet with him or her as soon as possible. Even if it's summer, the internship coordinator might be available for an appointment because summer is the time most students to do internships. Your program's internship coordinator can give you valuable advice before, during and after an internship. 
                                           *** 
“A work-based culture means those who want to
work, stay; those who don’t want to work, go. It
doesn’t matter how smart you are.” – Malcolm
Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink.
 

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