How Would You Define A Successful College Internship?
The idea of internship dates back to 1960s in apprenticeships, which involved a few selected fields like engineering, medicine, and teaching. This mainly involved bridging the theoretical class work with the real environment at the work place. In the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, the concept of internship evolved and changed considerably. Many people started utilizing internship as a means of recruiting employees and establishing important career connections (Anya 583). During this period, the concept of internships assumed a more diverse dimension with other disciplines incorporating internship in their curriculums.
With time, the idea of internship has diversified to assume various forms. Paid internships include a model in which besides learning about the work place, the internee is compensated for their time and output. Unpaid internships are purely on volunteer bases as the interns do not get any payment for the services offered. Furthermore, mentoring is a type of internship where an intern undertakes various job’s activities under the guidance of an experienced person in the field. Mentorship slightly resembles apprenticeship although in apprenticeship, the mentor must be in the same field as the mentee. Apart from mentoring, cooperative learning is another form of internship where interns are put into small groups and trained on various job skills and practices that they need in the work place. In cooperative learning, most of the activities involve extensive cover of all the practical aspects of the work place aimed at making the interns ready for the practical work any time.
Work placement also presents another form of internship although it is mainly for graduates (Anya 584). It involves a heavily supervised practice of the work place activities and ethics for the graduates to ensure they are familiar with job environment. In an internship, job shadowing is a practice that helps interns grows in multiple aspects of the field. In job shadowing, an intern works with another employee who may have a different task to accomplish but shadows him so that he or she can learn how to deal with all rounded activities related with the work place.
Regardless of the type of internship that one undertakes, the practice is characterized with various benefits. Initially, interns interact with employers during the internship, which may open the avenue for them to be employed later. Individuals also get the chance of testing their skills, as the theoretical work may not provide the best chance for them to sharpen such skills. Internships also help an individual to increase their productivity as well as improve their employee relation skills. Internships may also shape one’s career, as the internee is able to identify his or her weaknesses during internships. For example, individuals are able to establish that they are not competent in their fields of study hence changing their career lines.
However, internships also have some disadvantages. Initially, some internship may derail an individual’s progress by creating a non-realistic picture of the work place (Anya 585). In most cases, the interns flip from one area to another and function as assistants, which may make them feel discouraged. Internships are important in the development of the student, although a few of the students take them for granted. Some of the interns go to the work place and do not show a learning attitude, thus benefiting less from the internship. A feeling of overconfidence also engulfs the interns making them fail to take their internships seriously.
Works Cited
Anya Kamenetz. “Take This Internship and Shove It.” New York Times. 30 May 2006. Print.
