Throughout your childhood, high school, and university years, you probably have heard all kinds of stories about the marvelous and wonderful internships your friends’ brothers/ sisters/ relatives have been spending their school break doing at some giant corporations.. Or of how they have met some very important people during their internships... Whether or not they have truly met those people, whether or not they have been feeding us the truth... there was no way for us to tell!

Now that we are older, well.. more mature, and wiser, we can distinguish the truths from lies – and half-truths! Let’s go through this list of myths that have been circling around internships together one by one!

Internship myths:

Myth #1: Interns only do internships during the summer.

Myth #2: Interns do nothing worthwhile.

Myth #3: You should only intern in your field of study.

Myth #4: Only the rich and wealthy get to intern! They are only doing it because they have connections and want a full-time job at those companies.

Myth #5: Only students can intern.

(Source: Wesley Tingey on Unsplash)‍

Truths about internships (in their respective order):

Internships are open all year round.

Summer internships are only a variation of a wide range of internship options. There are many types of internships varying from fields, duration, and whether or not they are paid internships: non-profit internships, winter internships, for-credit internships.. the list goes on and on.. Nonetheless, multiple internships are available to you at different times throughout the years. Some internships are available all year round.. Companies are always on the lookout to recruit in some more talents to join their team! The matter of when is totally up to you!

Interns nowadays no longer take coffee orders..

They take on a lot more responsibilities than that! To understand why interns are tasked with these responsibilities, we must look into the reasons why companies decide to accept internships in the first place! Companies may need interns for new perspectives on how to approach a set of problems and to increase the probability of them getting to meet with new talents. By giving them challenging and meaningful tasks.. which require interns to pick up new sets of skills.., companies can narrow down their search for their future additional members in a measurable and realistic manner.

Feel free to explore your options and intern in a field outside your area of expertise!

Since fresh graduates are saturating the job markets, what piques their interest in you as a candidate and what gets you the position of your dream now comes down to your abilities to adapt to changes and how quickly (and effectively) you can apply new skills and absorb new knowledge! In today’s highly competitive market, many job vacancies are open for candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree in many different fields! Your degree should not stop you from pursuing your passions! You should never let them..!

Anyone can intern! But not all internships lead to a full-time job.

What matters to them most is the abilities that you possess! Not your family background.. not your connections! If you are accepted into a company (as an intern), know that you got in because of your abilities! That said, just because you happen to be an intern at certain companies does not mean that they are obligated to offer every single intern a job position! Internships do not equate to job interviews and job acceptance!

But, hang on, yes, there is some truth in this myth.. They might offer you a job if they see something special about you! That is to have to stand out from the crowd and make outstanding contributions for the company which does not necessarily mean that those contributions have to be ‘revolutionary’. Demonstrating strong work ethics, passion, and taking initiatives should do the trick!

(Young) Adults can do internships too.

Internships are a great way for students – and (young) adults – to explore their career options. These internships, or what most called returnships, allow for them to step into a different field within a short timeframe. Returnships also help get burnout (young) adults right back on track when they feel stuck with the work that they do. In fact, more (young) adults should be encouraged to take these opportunities to uncover new talents and brush up some old skills. The rise of returnships are a solid proof that internships can prepare interns with the right tools to succeed in the globalized world.

There you have it – five myths and truths about internships! Now that you know what internships are really about, don’t waste a minute longer to pursue the internship of your dreams!

Kick start your future career journey with AIP for purposeful and international internship experiences here!

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