{"id":3342,"date":"2023-04-12T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theforage.wpengine.com\/?p=3342"},"modified":"2024-08-21T15:50:02","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T19:50:02","slug":"internship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theforage.wpengine.com\/basics\/internship","title":{"rendered":"What Is an Internship (and Why Should I Do One)?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s a buzz around internships for good reason. Internships boost your chances of getting hired, build job skills<\/a>, and show you what you might want (or not want) from a job. Yet finding and applying for an internship<\/a> isn\u2019t easy \u2014 and you might wonder whether it\u2019s worth the stress and effort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember making a giant spreadsheet of all the companies I was interested in, types of roles I wanted to apply to, and tracking their deadlines and whether I’d gotten accepted. It was overwhelming, but my internship experience working for a small business helped me get some writing clips, learn about starting a business, and meet peers and a mentor who I learned a lot from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, we\u2019ll go over what an internship is, how it matches up to other work-based opportunities, and why you might consider doing one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does Internship Mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An internship is a work-based learning experience at a company where you do entry-level work. It’s basically like a job, in the sense that you do real work that professionals might do, but the focus is to learn about the workplace and build skills. Internships can vary in length, location, and time of year, and take place in various industries and at different types of companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you can do an investment banking<\/a> summer internship at one of the country\u2019s top banks or pursue a marketing<\/a> internship for a small company in your hometown. Some companies have very formal internship programs and start recruiting over a year and a half before the internship starts; these kinds of companies often aim to hire successful interns for full-time positions after graduation. Other companies might have less formal programs, or don’t have a public program at all (but if you’re interested in working there, it doesn’t hurt to ask for an internship<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all depends on what you\u2019re interested in and what kind of experience you\u2019re looking for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Do You Do in an Internship?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What you do in an internship can vary greatly depending on which type you have. Some involve more hands-on work on company projects, while others include more basic administrative tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At my part-time internship, I worked on a mix of tasks, from ones that helped the business expand, to creative work I was interested in, to administrative tasks to keep the business running. Every day was different, and full of various tasks. I wrote articles for the business’ blog, helped create social media posts, organized intern meetings, and helped launch the business’ podcast. I was really lucky to work for a manager who valued not just giving me experience, but giving me experience that I was interested in \u2014 specifically creative projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand what kind of tasks you\u2019ll be working on, you can look at the job description, read reviews (if they\u2019re available online), and ask the hiring manager or recruiter<\/a> directly during your interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some examples of internship tasks include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n