Becoming an Intern: Arguments Pro and Contra

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Becoming an Intern: Arguments Pro and Contra

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

There undoubtedly are some students who wish with all their might that their training programs could be as exciting as the one Peter Parker had at Stark Industries. But the reality is way more prosaic, and thus, internships are often treated as something boring and unnecessary.  

Actually, the Stark internship had its huge cons, too – it was potentially lethal, for starters! Real training programs are less dangerous but almost equally time-consuming. So, your friends are as likely to throw the “always got that internship!” phrase at you as Ned at Peter.

Luckily, there’s a secret time-saving weapon for a busy student: get your "write my essay for me" request done with EssayHub. With your daunting writing tasks being taken care of, you can go and be a hero at your internship, whatever it may be!    

But enough with the analogies. Let’s seriously weigh in on the subject. So, what are the pros and cons of becoming an intern?    

Types of Internships  

Firstly, you need to know that there are basically three main types of internships, depending on what exactly a trainee is going to obtain from the experience:

  • unpaid;
  • paid;
  • for credit.

The unpaid type is the most dreaded one by the majority of students. Let’s face it – no one wants to work for free. However, it’s not all black and white, and unpaid internships can be very beneficial. If you’re lucky enough to secure a trainee position at a large private organization, you have all the chances to get some payment. However, don’t expect much, as no one is going to pay you a full salary.

The last type is not that easy to get, and it comes with a lot of limitations. Still, it can sweeten the pill of providing free labor as it will give you the opportunity to decrease your academic workload. Regardless of the type, all such programs have some advantages and disadvantages.

It’s hard to generalize because every case is unique, but anyway, there are some common pros and contras of internships that you need to consider before you get more specific. Here they are.

Image by Jan Vašek from Pixabay

Cons

Let’s start with the negatives so that you could instantly make sure that there are not as many disadvantages to becoming an intern as you could expect.

Time-Consuming

As we’ve already mentioned, any internship requires a lot of time. But this problem is not that hard to solve.

Firstly, many companies offer summer programs during holidays, so you won’t have to juggle work and studies if you choose this option. Secondly, remember the EssayService trick? The service can handle a wide range of tasks – not just essays but also various homework help.

Thirdly, such training is not a waste of time but an investment in your future career. If you treat it this way, you’ll most likely get more organized and will be able to make time for everything.

Danger of Becoming an “Errand Boy/Girl”

This is a common fear (probably amplified by the “The Devil Wears Prada” movie) of all students and fresh graduates. No need to cheat: such things do happen. But as you might remember, that experience proved beneficial for Andrea, anyway!

Besides, there are ample examples of better experiences without all that stress and hassle, and humiliation.  

Provides No Valuable Experience

Another similar contra argument is the presumption that internships provide no valuable experience because trainees are only given simple, non-essential tasks.

Indeed, this can be the case, plus you can suffer from arrogant co-workers, some of whom may be desperate to get rid of “this student” (regardless of whether you’re a student or not). It may hurt anyone’s pride, especially if you’re no spring chicken.

But if you stay against all odds, you will get valuable experience anyway, be it positive or negative.  

Pros

Now, let’s move on to the pros – and we have to admit, they seriously outweigh the cons.

Hands-On Experience

Theory and practice are two different things, and educational institutions traditionally care more about the former. So, the primary function of training programs, whether paid or unpaid, is to provide the much-needed hands-on experience that is indispensable for any true professional.

Useful Connections

You’ve undoubtedly heard of the benefits of networking, but do you know that getting an intern position is a great way to make those useful connections that can propel your career to a whole different level?

Improved Resume

Every student and fresh graduate knows that famous dilemma: you need work experience to get hired, but you can’t get work experience without getting hired. Or can you? Yes, you can – via an internship. After spending several months or even weeks at a company, you can proudly include the missing work experience line in your resume.

Job Opportunities

If you choose wisely, secure a position at a company you’d like to continue with, make a good impression, and work hard, chances are that you’ll be offered a full-time job at that company. Contrary to popular belief, it happens quite often as many companies would rather employ a talented trainee and provide growth opportunities than search for someone new.

Wrapping Up

While there are pros and cons to becoming an intern, and the latter can’t be ignored, internships are generally beneficial. For inexperienced students and fresh graduates, they can provide invaluable hands-on experience, help build useful connections, enhance their CVs, and even pave the way to getting a job offer.

Head of Content, reality TV watcher and lover of cookies.