In the four years that I was at Princeton, I probably had between fifteen to twenty different jobs – from working with the Assistant Secretary of Economic Development at the Department of Commerce, to spending late nights at investment banks, to working as a book editor for a local publishing company – you name it, I’ve done it. While many people questioned if my constant career mobility meant that I was unfocused, I knew exactly what I was doing.
For about eight years of your life, you have the unique opportunity to step foot into companies for a short period of time - to learn the ropes, to explore the industry, and to learn skills that you may never otherwise have the opportunity to become exposed to. It’s called the internship.
While students often narrowly view the internship as a stepping-stone to their dream job, internships serve as a unique opportunity to expose students to leaders and industries that they are simply interested in learning more about. When else in your life will you have the opportunity to gain a hands-on learning experience at a company that you might otherwise never see from within?
In order to take full advantage of the internship experience, I would encourage high school and college students to consider taking internships for the following reasons:
Step foot in an industry you have always been curious about. Take an internship position in a company that you’ve always wanted to learn more about. Whether you intend to pursue a serious career in this industry or not, there is no better time to satisfy your curiosity and become more knowledgeable about the world around you.
Work for a leader you have always admired. For a few months, put your long-term career goals aside, and commit to learning as much as you can from a leader or role model whom you’ve always admired. Through working with people whom you respect more than anyone else in the world, you will learn to push yourself to new limits and will often learn more about the macro aspects of organizational behavior – such as leadership, hiring practices, and how to foster innovation within companies.
Develop a very specific skill that may come in handy later in life. Maybe you’ve always admired how well your mom makes Thanksgiving dinner, or how well your neighbor plans monthly dinner parties – so take a few months and work for a cooking publication or work for an event planner. Not every internship that you take needs to be directly aligned with your long-term career goals. Through taking jobs to learn particular skills, this may actually help you to differentiate yourself when applying for longer-term positions; you’ll also find that many of the skills you learn will come in handy later in life.
Take an internship in a company or an industry that you know the least about. While it is easy to thrive in a company that allows you to highlight your strengths, some of the steepest learning curves are derived from throwing yourself into companies and situations that you know the least about. Everyone has at least one or two knowledge gaps that have the potential to drag them down; rather than avoiding them for the rest of your life, tackle your greatest weaknesses head-on and turn your greatest insecurities into your greatest strengths. This will make you a more confident person and save you years of running away from your greatest fears.
While there is often value in taking one or two internships in companies or industries that are aligned with your long-term career goals, there are various other reasons to pursue certain internships that are often overlooked. Go against the grain and take jobs for unconventional reasons. You might be surprised by what you get out of it.