As another batch of interns wraps up their time with us, we wanted to take some time to reflect on the best parts of doing an internship (taking out the trash didn’t make the list—who’s surprised?).
You get to learn whether you want to work in that particular industry. Sometimes it’s easier to figure out what you don’t want than what you do. Doing an internship will give you the chance to explore the industry in greater depth and decide if that’s a field you can see yourself in long term.
You gain practical experience. If it is your field of interest, then you’ve already got some understanding of what your work will look like in future. But let’s say it isn’t your dream industry: you’ll still figure out what type of worker you are, what setting you like to work in, how to form a work routine, and how to best work as a team with your colleagues.
You can impress your grandparents at Thanksgiving dinner. You no longer have to dread this holiday for months, trying to come up with a fancy way to explain that you’ve got no clue what you want to do with your life. Now you can focus on the turkey and mashed potatoes and cross your fingers that no one brings up politics.
You get the chance to network. You know that person in your dorm who always talks about how her uncle works for that one pop star and now they always get backstage passes to the show? If you do an internship, you’ll have a chance to interact with the pop stars (or maybe the minor celebs) of that industry. You can start building relationships with people so that you have experts you can turn to when you need advice about the job search.
You’ll have more money than your friends who spent the summer at the pool. Fine, you might not win the “Best Belly-Flopper” award for the fifth year running, but you’ll be able to buy tickets to the aforementioned pop star’s show when no one else can afford them.
You’ll be able to foster your ambition. Nothing says, “I want to advance in my career” like realizing you don’t want to get your boss coffee for the rest of your life. Even at a good internship, where you’re highly valued, you can still see what other positions look like and set your own goals accordingly. (Trying to figure out what type of internship would be valuable for you? Check out our article, “A Day in the Life of an RTS Intern” to learn more about whether working with us can help you reach your goals!)
And our seventh reason is for this group of interns especially—you learn to be flexible and adapt, even in difficult circumstances. Hopefully our interns feel like they got a lot out of their time with us. They impressed us with their perseverance and good natures as we were forced to make changes to respond to COVID-19.
In any case, we’re so pleased to announce that our .net Intern, Max, will be joining the RTS team full-time when he graduates in May. And to our other interns—Allie, Colin, and Brad—thanks again for the dedication and fun you brought to your positions. Anyone thinking of being an RTS intern in future can apply on our careers page.