If you go to college, then in most instances you probably intend to take what you’ve learned and to seek a professional position where you can put it to good use. You’ll have an advanced degree to show your proficiency to a potential boss or hiring manager.
There are different ways you can achieve success in the academic arena while you’re on your way toward graduating. For instance, let’s say you’re getting a degree in engineering. However, you’re struggling with some of the material and need to get assistance. Searching online for engineering assignment help could lead you to hire a professional to handle your homework task for you. However, getting engineering homework help from a pro is far from the only way to obtain an edge while on the path toward academic success.
You also have the options of seeking out internships and engaging in experiential learning. These can both help you to seem like a more attractive candidate when you graduate and start looking for work in your chosen field.
Whether you’re going from babysitting to teaching or from working in a soup kitchen to founding your own nonprofit, an experiential pathway to practical, real world experience is becoming more widely recognized as desirable. As for the internship option, it has long been recognized as a way to impress someone who’s looking at your resume and considering how valuable you might be to their business entity.
Let’s discuss both of these concepts in greater detail right now.
The concept of gaining knowledge of something through firsthand with it is not new. However, only in recent years has it been recognized more by professors and instructors at universities as being a desirable way to teach.
To put it as succinctly as possible, experiential learning means to become knowledgeable about something by doing it. That is not always possible with every facet of an academic subject, but there are often ways to teach a young person that incorporate hands-on techniques. This strategy is useful because:
Part of the reason why this teaching method has become popular is that some college grads have found it difficult to get ahead in a crowded job market, even after they have graduated from a prestigious school with an advanced degree. They might have qualifications that look impressive on paper, but there may be little that sets them apart from a dozen other candidates.
If they can say that part of their learning involved a hands-on approach, that will probably give them a leg up over someone who can’t say the same. For instance, if a graduate can say they did actual lab experiments instead of just reading about them, that probably improves their chances of getting hired by a research facility. If they did field exercises or studied abroad, a company owner or hiring manager will probably see them as more well-rounded, despite the fact that they have not yet done any paid work in a particular field.
Now, let’s move on to another option if you’re interested in gaining an advantage over other young college grads who are competing for the same job as you.
Some individuals chafe at the idea of doing unpaid work. In a sense, that is what you’re doing when you get an internship. They also might not like the thought that they have to attend classes at the same time, which eats into their time for socializing.
It’s true that if you get an internship, and you’re taking classes as well, you won’t have as much time for attending parties and taking part in other cherished aspects of the college experience. However, what’s undeniable is that you’ll be making yourself a more attractive candidate when you find yourself engaged in a serious job hunt a couple of years down the line.
If you intern somewhere:
You also have a chance for meaningful personal growth if you work somewhere without being paid. It keeps you humble.
Even if all you’re doing is going on coffee runs, you’re spending time with individuals who could soon be your coworkers. They’re teaching you about what it takes to be successful in the niche you’ve chosen. They can give you the wisdom that they have accrued over years spent in the industry.
By now, you probably understand that either of these two options can do you a great deal of good as you get closer to graduating and start looking for a well-paid position in the field you’re targeting. Which is the better choice for you, though?
One consideration will be whether or not you can find a company that will allow you to be an intern there. There are only so many of these positions, and securing one can be tougher than you might think, even if it’s essentially unpaid work.
There’s also the question of which of your instructors, if any, will have a system in place where you can learn by experience. Though acceptance of this teaching style keeps growing with each passing year, not every professor will allow it.
What you’ll need to do is see what’s available to you at the particular university and in the industry that you have chosen. If you need advice, talk to either a guidance counselor at your school or your favorite professor.
Often, there will be one instructor with whom you seem to establish a rapport. Take advantage of that and ask them if they think either of the possibilities that we’ve talked about in this article might be of use to you.
It’s true that an internship will take time away from hanging out with friends, and learning through experience won’t yield any immediate financial gain. Still, you should not discount either of these options as ways to get ahead as you get closer to a time when you will leave the sheltered world of academia and strike out on your own. Either option can yield tremendous benefits if everything works out in your favor.
You can go into a job interview when the time comes with a lot more confidence. When whoever is in charge of hiring looks at your resume, and they ask about practical experience, you can say without batting an eye that you have some.
