How difficult is it to find an internship during your time in college?

Let me tell you an interesting real life story about internships:

During my daughter's senior year in high school, the highlight of the year (and of the whole high school experience) was to be a several month long internship program. Everyone signed up and indicated the type of internship that they wanted - all except for one girl. This girl wanted to become a doctor and wanted her internship to be with the local EMS unit at the local fire station. So, she talked to the head of the EMS unit and got his approval and made arrangements with the school to create her own internship. Of all of the students about which I heard, she was the one who benefited the most by her internships. My daughter's was definitely not the highlight of her school career. Her first choice fell through and her final assignment was not really what she wanted and did not give her the type of exposure that she had hoped for. 

This shows that you can create your own internship! Locate a company that fits the parameters of the type of experience and exposure that you are seeking and work with them and the appropriate people in your school to put it in motion. After all, if there is an internship program existing today, anywhere, it had to be created by someone.

Hi Megan,

There are a lot of opportunities to find an internship during college, but I think the most difficult part of the process is finding internship opportunities that are right for you. Many colleges have career services offices that offer a lot of great resources that would help you find internship and job opportunities. This can help you narrow down what industry you would like to work in or what type of job you are looking for.

I would also look online, as there are a lot of great websites that have internship or job listings. If there is a specific company you want to work for, I would look at their website because they usually have job openings listed there. You could also try using websites like LinkedIn to look for other internships there, as well.

Good Luck!

Sarah

Hey Megan,

Great question, I really love internship questions because I honestly think that Internships are the greatest thing since avocado toast.

Internships are easy to find if you put in the leg work, that is the short answer. No internship is going to fall into your lap if you remain stationary so you are going to have to work to find one that is for certain. I recommend going to your school's student career center and talking to a career coach. They know of many opportunities and are the best able to help you honestly. It is their job to get students jobs and internships so you definitely should utilize them as your go-to resource for internship help. During my time in college, I had three internships with the federal government and two of them were overseas in Asia!! Imagine being 20/21 and spending two summers in an East Asian country, sounds pretty great doesn't it? It was the absolute best time of my life and I wish I could go into a time machine and relive every moment. This was all possible because I did my research and spend countless hours looking online for internships that matched my interests and career ambitions. Every internship opportunity is pretty much posted online waiting to be discovered so definitely spend your time looking online to find those hidden gems as you never know what you'll be able to find.

Putting in the hard work is not fun and you're going to spend a long time searching for the right opportunity, writing cover letters, and filling out applications., but it will all be worth it in the end. You will be a more marketable candidate when you graduate if you have some internship experience under your belt.

I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!!

Best,

Austin

Hi Megan,

Internships can be very beneficial for your career and learning process. The best way to get your foot in the door is through LinkedIn and your schools career management department. Developing a strong LinkedIn profile will draw recruiters towards your profile and make lasting connections. If your school has an office of career management, utilizing those resources will streamline you to finding an internship. Also, step out of your comfort zone and talk to professionals in your area that are on campus. Follow up with them and you will see how much easier it can be to land that dream internship. Find an internship that you're interested in and learn about the company. Utilizing all of your resources will help you find an internship in no time.