A marketing internship is a great way to gain experience for the real world upon graduation from college. Interning exposes the student to life outside the classroom where they study and learn about various scenarios rather than experiencing them firsthand. An education is often vital to a young person’s development in the professional world, but interning is another great way to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.
Marketing is one of plenty of internship opportunities out there. There are also legal, medical, administrative and other learning opportunities for college students who pursue real world experience. Marketing may turn out to be a valuable education in various fields including entrepreneurship, as promoting and advertising one’s own start-up business is important to get it off the ground. A background in the field may be viewed as valuable by potential employers, even if it is not directly representative of one’s everyday duties in the position for which they are interviewing.
Learning valuable managerial skills is something that all interns should strive to do throughout their internship program no matter the field. Managing people is an experience that many potential employers look for when they are going through a stack of resumes. It teaches responsibility, leadership and teamwork. While interns won’t run the entire company, finding ways to develop managerial and leadership skills is often important, as this experience often proves very valuable when interviewing for jobs after school.
Finding an opportunity that allows flexibility with scheduling is also important. Programs that do not offer flexibility when it comes to scheduling the intern’s hours may interfere with school work or even classes. Of course, most programs work with universities or understand the demands that school places on its participants, but considering your schedule and the demands of the program is worthwhile to avoiding having to quit halfway through because the program is interfering with schoolwork, studying or class.
A marketing internship may allow for creativity as well. This is something that is useful in various fields, as it develops an ability to think creatively and outside the box, so to speak. Before starting any program, be sure to get a little background on it from past participants or the program itself. Try to get a feel for the demands of the program and what duties or tasks you’ll likely find yourself performing on a daily basis. Make sure the program is a good fit before diving in.
