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An internship is like pre-season training: you learn new things, you iron out mistakes, and you prep yourself for the real season ahead. An internship is your opportunity to "get your feet wet," to watch how professionals handle situations, and to realize what kind of work lies ahead of you. It all boils down to experience. An internship is first hand experience in a career that prepares you for the next step.

There are several ways to learn about jobs that are of interest to you. You could read texts that summarize the basic tasks of the job, but you might miss out on how it feels to actually do the work. You could go a step further and analyze the opinion of someone who does the work, but who’s to say that you’ll have that same opinion, whether good or bad? By interning, you have the opportunity to witness a job first-hand. You gain hands-on knowledge and work side by side with those who have already made a career out of what you want to do. Granted, some internships, especially for younger students, may place you in a less proactive role within the workplace. However, this does not undermine the importance thereof. You will learn much helpful information from being in the work environment. Maybe the most important of all, you will learn whether the job you thought you would enjoy really is right for you. This saves you large amounts of time in respect to preparing for the labor force and finding an enjoyable niche. After all, you don’t want to wait until you are just graduated and starting a career to realize that it just isn’t for you.

Let’s say that you love the job for which you found an internship and plan to pursue it in the future. Now you have a powerful tool by which you can prepare yourself for your career. You will witness how professionals handle their business through your own eyes. You may see how company decisions are made, how meetings are conducted, and you will see the consequence of actions taken by the employer. When you begin your career, you will be able to apply the skills you acquired through an internship to help you succeed.

Having a head-start in a race is usually beneficial. You’ll already be steps closer to your goal than you would normally be and have a distinct advantage over a competitor that may be your equal in terms of skill. An internship is your head-start. When you begin your job, you’ll know what to expect. You’ll be more likely to settle in to the pace and demands of the job, and may find it easier to succeed and advance. Beginning a career can resemble the process of beginning college, or even high school, all over again. Instead of having an agitating freshman year in which you must establish your position in your new environment, utilize your experience and show people that you know what you are doing and that you belong.

With all of that said, an internship is not just important, it is almost a must. Entering the labor force can be tricky and full of obstacles. Employers will not only want bright, well rounded students, but they will want ones with experience. It’s sort of a "catch 22;" you can only gain experience from working, but may not get the job because of a lack thereof, which is why the internship is important. You gain necessary experience in your career field that employers will take into thoughtful consideration. Even better, an internship might even land you a job with that company. If you like space exploration, try to land an internship with an organization such as NASA. Who knows, you may have a career waiting for you when you graduate.

Send you question to Career Guy at outcomes@wabash.edu.  All those chosen will receive a $10 gift certificate to Chicago Joes (the new hotdog/sandwich place)