Why Internships are Important
A degree is not enough. As workplace demands becomes more global and require higher levels of skill, the competition for good jobs continues to increase. Going to a college or university is a critical step, but earning a degree alone is not enough to compete with your peers. To increase your marketability, you need to enhance your classroom learning by gaining real world experience. Internships are the best way to gain this experience.
It's what you know AND who you know.
Internships help you hone professional competencies and work habits in a work setting and expand your knowledge of your own abilities and career goals. Not only can an internship beef up your resume and teach you valuable career skills, you can make valuable industry contacts that can be essential to landing the ideal job upon graduation. Internships in college are a great way to address both the “what you know” and “who you know” issues at the same time.
Internships are the ultimate social network.
If there is anything you learned on the first day of your freshman year, it was the importance of having resources and the value of knowing how to use them. Knowing where to turn when you need something is just as important as having what you need in the first place, and college internships are great for this. Building a network of "who you know" through a college internship can pay great dividends upon graduation. The value of an internship often lies in the people with whom you will work.
Finally, don't forget that many organizations use their internship programs as a means of screening and preparing students for full-time positions upon graduation. Your internship could turn into a job.