5 reasons why curricular internships aren’t something to be afraid of

By the end of your bachelor degree, you might find yourself trying to figure out what comes next. Some students don’t even have any other option but to enroll in an internship in order to finish their last year’s credits, which can become quite stressful and even scary. We all know a bunch of internship horror stories, right?

But fear not! An internship is an excellent opportunity for you to decide where you actually want to take your career, what technologies you enjoy working with the most and how you fit in a company context.

Here are 5 reasons why curricular internships aren’t something to be afraid of:

1. Tons of experience, duh

We know, it’s a cliché saying that you’ll get a ton of experience during your internship, yada, yada! But the truth is internships aren’t about getting coffee or running errands (unless you’re getting coffee to fuel that sleep deprived college student body of yours). An internship will most likely be your first contact with a professional setting and even if you’re working with something completely new, you’ll be able to acquire new skills, experiment around and something worth putting in your resume.

2. You can actually mess up

Gaining experience also means learning from your mistakes, and an internship is the perfect place to mess up without dire consequences. Learning is challenging and mistakes are meant to be made. With the proper guidance from your supervisors, you’ll be able to point out your weak spots while becoming aware of your strengths. Take advantage of the internship environment to grow.

3. Find your true calling

It’s hard to figure out what you actually want when you’re just starting your career and have been playing around with technologies on an academic level. Enter internship: here’s a chance for you to get the feeling of what you enjoy, or don’t, and decide what professional path should be waiting for you. Even if you’re trying to figure out if going for a post grad or master’s is your calling, a first time semi-profissional experience will give you the much needed insight for you to make up your mind and choose wisely.

4. Hands on, always

Theory is necessary, theory can be cool, but it’s also important to see how far you can make it when it’s time to actually bring projects to life. Working in real life solutions and projects, with actual clients, or just to be trained in order to do so, will provide the proper preparation you need to take on future challenges as a junior. It’s good to have a book in hand but it’s equally important to be able to create something on your own or help a team do so.

5. Real company experience

You’ll be shocked how much of a difference it makes to actually be in the field, and by field, we mean a company setting. It’s not all about the technical experience: getting the feel of how projects are conducted, daily stand ups are held, weekly sync ups are made, among others, can really give you a hint of what type of daily environment awaits you.

On another note, you will also be able to learn how to socialize in a professional setting, get along with your mentors and even become friends with your peers.

If you’re looking for an internship opportunity, we have good news! Exaud works with several faculties and institutions and you can join Exaud Lab, an Internship program tailored to your needs. Send us an email for more information: hello@exaud.com

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