The Truth about Internships

Written by Guest Blogger – Isabella Perera

The Winter semester has begun, and with the blink of an eye it will be over…what next? A great way to give yourself an edge up in your career is to do an internship! Just think about it, Summer is coming up and what better way to spend it than gaining practical hands on experience in the field that you intend to be in after graduation.

Here is a pros and cons list about internships:

Pros:

– Gain hands on experience in your field

– Adds impressive content to your resume

– Will definitely help you get a long-term job in the future

– Helps with networking as you will meet many people (who can help you later in your career)

– Opens up the possibility of you working at the company in the future or after graduation

– Some internships are paid

– If they aren’t paid chances are you can use it for academic credit

– Gives you interview and resume writing experience

Of course, there are downsides to everything in life here are the cons of an internship

Cons:

– Will take up a lot of your time (most internships are like full time jobs 35-40hrs/week)

– Your internship might not be paid

– Internships are competitive (you will be going up against other students for positions)

– You might have to do a long commute to the company

Those were all the beneficial and negative impacts I thought an internship could have… and in this case I believe the good out weight the bad. If an internship is something you’re interested in for your academic and professional career be sure to take advantage of the resources that Trent University Durham has to offer! (Listed below)

Student Experience Portal: https://ccr.trentu.ca/

Here you can view different job/internship opportunities, book appointments with Durham’s career advisors as well as view different events tailored to helping students with various academic and professional opportunities.

Durham Academic Advising: www.trentu.ca/durham/careerservices

Trying to decide on a career path that’s right for you? Career advising can assist you with the career planning process. You will have the chance to learn more about opportunities that are available.

Happy Internship Hunting 🙂