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The Busy Family’s Guide to School
College and Career Planning / Ages 14-24

Everything You Need to Know About Internships

Well, maybe not everything. But a few helpful things.

If you’re in college or a trade program right now, you might be starting to wonder about what your summer will look like. Internships can be a great option—and contrary to popular belief, they don’t have to be unpaid.

Here’s what you need to know as you plan your summer:

  • Internships do set you up to get a future job in your professional field. The research is indisputable: Internships are a foot in the door. You’ll gain valuable experience, make connections, and start to understand how your chosen field works. Fortunately, there are now more ways for students to access paid (or grant-funded) internship opportunities.
  • The job market seems to be moving toward paid internships. Great news! Lots of companies are starting to realize that getting free labor from young people isn’t cool—and also excludes students from families without the means to support their summer. As more companies start to pay interns a decent wage, students no longer have to choose between earning money and getting a “foot in the door” of their chosen career path. This is also good news considering that research shows paid internships more often lead to job offers, compared to unpaid ones.
  • Internships also give you a chance to test out the field you’ve chosen. Let’s say you think you want to be an architect. An internship in an architecture firm can give you a chance to find out if you actually enjoy working in that kind of environment. You’ll see what seasoned architects do all day, and have a chance to imagine yourself doing those things, too.
  • It’s possible to get funding to do an unpaid internship, too. Even though many internships these days are paid, you might still come across an unpaid opportunity. This could be appealing for a number of reasons: if the job is with your dream company, for example, or offers experience that you really can’t get elsewhere. An unpaid internship might require a lower time commitment than a paid one (which could be useful if you have other stuff going on), or it might offer experience in a field that you are completely new to. Websites like FastWeb.com and Unigo.com allow you to search specifically for funding for summer work opportunities. And if you’re already in college, check in with your campus careers office. Before you write off an unpaid opportunity, explore all the possibilities for getting free money to do something cool.
“As more companies start to pay interns a decent wage, students no longer have to choose between earning money and getting a “foot in the door” of their chosen career path.”
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