Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Internships, real world experience?
I am currently working on my third internship, and while my resume looks impressive with all this "experience" I've had, I wonder, am I really experienced in the field? In a perfect world, in each internship I would work under my boss, and he would allow me to help out with as much as possible, so when I am completed with the internship, I would feel comfortable doing such tasks on my own. I would love to say this is the has been the case in my experiences, however I cannot say this. I have found that I am GREAT at entering data into excel, can probably say the alphabet backwards, and have conquered the mail merger. I often find myself passing the hours in my lonely cube doing undesirable busy work that my "co-workers" do not wish to do themselves. I understand I am only an intern, and this is the work I am supposed to do, but I wish I would get the opportunity to work on more important tasks, tasks that actually matter and will help me in the future. I have been assertive seeking these types of tasks, however I am always stuck back in my cube doing yet another cumbersome task. I wonder, when I graduate, will I be able to preform as well as my resume makes me look?
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9 comments:
I wonder that same thing. While I've had two internships and great letters of reccomnedation, I don't know if all my time stuffing envelopes and entering data will really help me once I get a job. I too understand that this is "intern" type work, but sometimes I wish I would be put in charge of a project. That way, my boss would see what I am really capable of, and be able to help me learn even more.
I think finding a good internship is kind of luck of the draw. An internship may seem great on the surface, but, in reality, could be no more than getting coffee and stuffing envelopes. That's why it's important to investigate your options to make sure you're gaining real world experience at your internship.
I’m doing my second internship at the moment with the Milwaukee Brewers and I can’t say enough about how my first one allowed me to get the second one. What I mean is like a career or life I was able to build from a first internship that I didn’t love into a internship that I do love. Any experience is good experience and my advice is to be humble and be willing to do anything. Much like the writers experience. “assertiveness” will take you further then you could ever imagine. Work hard, stay positive, learn from the best and there will be no boundaries to where you internships can carry you.
Even though you may not be getting the desirable experience right now, once you enter the field you will quickly pick up on public relations related tasks. I currently have an internship at a small firm. Therefore I am assigned multiple tasks that actually relate. When entering in, i had no previous out of classroom experience. However, I have picked up on tasks and the proper ways to conduct them rather quickly and trust that the same will prove true when I obtain a job in the profession. So hang in there, don't fret and know that you will pick up on things quickly.
PS For any career across the board, the classroom cannot adequately prepare. There is nothing like hands on experience.
isn't that funny? I think that the definition of a 'good' internship is hard to pinpoint. Is it true that all potential hires look for on a resume is a good name of a company you interned for? It is hard to make the experience apply to the real world when it seems that most of the time, you are in fact stuffing envelopes and doing the work that no one else wanted to do! If you're lucky, you get an internship that is beneficial, or a manager who is willing to give you bigger tasks to help give you more than just a good name on a resume, but actual job-enhancing experience!
To reply to Nick Gregory, I actually am also interning for the Brewers, however unlike you, I do not enjoy it. I know my past 2 internships helped me get this one, and I was very excited to start, but it has not been what I wanted, or expected. However, like mentioned by someone else, I know that having the Milwaukee Brewers on my resume will look good regardless of how much I actually got out of the internship, like great envelope stuffing, and Excel skills!
I can understand where you are coming from, however, like Katie said it is all about the luck of the draw. I have had two great internships that have given me hands-on work that I will be able to use in the future, but at my current internship I have not learned anything and I basically do all of the busy work that the other employees do not want to do. My advice to you is to find internships where your help is really needed which means working for smaller businesses that will treat you like an actual employee, not just an intern.
I personally have only had one internship so far, but I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU. I too have been able to use the mail merger tool blindfolded and wonder if this amazing talent is something that will make me POP from the rest of the competition...I doubt it. I just don't understand why an organization would say that they want an intern in a specific field when really all they want is a secretary.
I feel the same way. Whenever I have an internship, the employer makes it seem like it will be very beneficial. Maybe I'm jaded, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Busy work seems to dominate. And while yes, busy work is for the interns, the point of an internship is to gain experience that will help us in the future. I don't mind doing an unpaid internship, but if I'm just making coffee and filing papers, I'd rather get paid elsewhere.
That being said, your resume is going to look great. Every company is different, so you'll definitely have to learn on the job. And while internships will provide hopefully some good experience, classes are going to teach you things you need to know. So I guess take those internships and use them as stepping stones, you know?
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