The purpose of internship.
Win-win scenario?
It makes sense to me that logically an applicant with previous work experience will appear more attractive to an employer then an applicant who lacks it. In my experience, getting an internship is not hard although getting a ‘good one’. These thoughts and experiences are put through scrutiny of deeper analysis and academic evidence below:
Evidence suggests that having work experience enhances the attractiveness of a graduate to an employer (Jones & Wornock, 2015; Silva, Lopes, Cosra, Seabra, Melo, Brito & Dias, 2016; Shade & Jacobson, 2015). Research suggests this affects graduates of both undergraduates and doctorate students ((Jones & Wornock, 2015; Silva, Lopes, Cosra, Seabra, Melo, Brito & Dias, 2016). A study conducted by Tomlinson (2008) revealed that students often go to university due to perception that degree offers better job prospects in the future (p. 52-55). The same study identifies that in some industries the high volume of graduates leads to ‘oversaturation’ of the job market; leading to a fiercer competition in gaining both employment and internships (Tomlinson, 2008; Leonard, Halford, Bruxe, 2016). The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that internships/work experience has become a way of standing out on the job market. The same conclusion goes against my experience of finding internships reasonably easy – suggesting there may be some variability / other factors involved.
This has definitely been one of the reasons why I have decided to dedicate one year of my life to becoming an intern. In addition to that I have other reasons, more specific to myself with some being personal rather than professional. As it has been noted I have made a big decision to ‘switch’ internships from HOB India to Exped Adventure – the reasons were simply that Exped Adventure was more suitable for me and my aspirations. These include guiding expeditions and being more involved in all aspects of the business.
Having been part of Exped for four months now I can happily report I am satisfied with the transfer and would do so again in a heartbeat despite some great experiences at HOB. During the four months I have been given trust and responsibility to both support existing operations as well as come up with new solutions to existing dynamics – such as designing new systems and databases. As I am ‘pioneering’ the intern concept within the company the learning curve has been at times steep and there is no shortage of challenges – this means t
It makes sense to me that logically an applicant with previous work experience will appear more attractive to an employer then an applicant who lacks it. In my experience, getting an internship is not hard although getting a ‘good one’. These thoughts and experiences are put through scrutiny of deeper analysis and academic evidence below:
Evidence suggests that having work experience enhances the attractiveness of a graduate to an employer (Jones & Wornock, 2015; Silva, Lopes, Cosra, Seabra, Melo, Brito & Dias, 2016; Shade & Jacobson, 2015). Research suggests this affects graduates of both undergraduates and doctorate students ((Jones & Wornock, 2015; Silva, Lopes, Cosra, Seabra, Melo, Brito & Dias, 2016). A study conducted by Tomlinson (2008) revealed that students often go to university due to perception that degree offers better job prospects in the future (p. 52-55). The same study identifies that in some industries the high volume of graduates leads to ‘oversaturation’ of the job market; leading to a fiercer competition in gaining both employment and internships (Tomlinson, 2008; Leonard, Halford, Bruxe, 2016). The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that internships/work experience has become a way of standing out on the job market. The same conclusion goes against my experience of finding internships reasonably easy – suggesting there may be some variability / other factors involved.
This has definitely been one of the reasons why I have decided to dedicate one year of my life to becoming an intern. In addition to that I have other reasons, more specific to myself with some being personal rather than professional. As it has been noted I have made a big decision to ‘switch’ internships from HOB India to Exped Adventure – the reasons were simply that Exped Adventure was more suitable for me and my aspirations. These include guiding expeditions and being more involved in all aspects of the business.
Having been part of Exped for four months now I can happily report I am satisfied with the transfer and would do so again in a heartbeat despite some great experiences at HOB. During the four months I have been given trust and responsibility to both support existing operations as well as come up with new solutions to existing dynamics – such as designing new systems and databases. As I am ‘pioneering’ the intern concept within the company the learning curve has been at times steep and there is no shortage of challenges – this means t
REFERENCES:
Jones, H, & Warnock, L 2015, 'When a PhD is not enough A case study of a UK internship programme to enhance the employability of doctoral researchers', Higher Education, Skills And Work-Based Learning, 5, 3, p. 212-227
Shade, L, & Jacobson, J 2015, 'Hungry for the job: gender, unpaid internships, and the creative industries', Sociological Review Monograph, 63, S1, p. 188
Silva, P, Lopes, B, Costa, M, Seabra, D, Melo, A, Brito, E, & Dias, G 2016, 'Stairway to employment? Internships in higher education', Higher Education, 72, 6, pp. 703-721
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