Did you do one?
Should students consider this?
Is it a great way to find your first job?
Let me ask another question. If you cannot find a job in your field after graduation would it be worth six months of sacrifice to land the type of job you want?
Or, are your goals important enough to consider working for considerably less money as an intern in order to gain experience that has no price tag?
All of these are very good questions when it comes to the discussion of students taking internships after graduation. Some of our friends within the career services field at some major universities have some insight on this matter. I subscribe to the INTERNSHIP LIST SERV hosted by Messiah College in Pennsylvania. Since Internships After Graduation was the topic I thought it would be worthwhile to share with my readers the basis of the discussion.
Katie Johnson, Associate Director of Internships at Philadelphia University comprised three responses to the question should student students complete an internship after graduation.
The first response is from the career center at the University of Connecticut.
We too have seen this rise, from both employers offering the programs and job seekers upon graduation. It appeared to me that it started in the sciences but has now moved outside that realm. I look at it like a GAP year concept, where the student is doing something intentionally short term while he/she figures out what his/her career path is going to look like. It is better than job-hopping. I recently presented on this topic at Nichols College and about 2/3 of the attendees have seen this phenomenon occurring – where the student just isn’t ready to commit to a ‘career’ and wants to still figure stuff out. So we are seeing more interest in NGO’s, socially responsible careers, etc. like Teach for America or America Corp. They are able to live at home more easily than say, ten years ago. They are not as financially driven even though they are more in debt. I think too, companies are recognizing how the Millennial Generation, if I can do a broad generalization, is not as focused on staying with one company for many years, so they are now designing some positions to be one-two year options, and if the worker leaves at the end, no harm, no foul. If the person is a great fit, then he/she can move around and get promoted.
The next response is from Ita Fischer, Director of Career Services at Wheaton College.
We’ve seen a rise in this trend, as well, and actually encourage some graduates to seek this option as it seems to be a good way to get their foot in the door. We have had employers state that this is the only way they are hiring their entry level staff for competitive positions.
From what I have been reading, this post-graduate trend seems to be stemming from the Millennial tendency to “kick corporate tires.” The costs involved in setting up the HR for these grads who then quit after a few months is forcing companies to fight back and not offer benefits (although they do pay a good wage). As such both the company and grad can ensure they are the right fit.
The final response is from Sandra Bevill, PhD, a professor in the College of Business at the University of Arkansas.
I’m full-time faculty, but part of my job is to handle internships for the students in the College of Business. If students want to do those internships and not get credit, then the school doesn’t get any tuition money which, indirectly, goes to cover my salary.
The FLSA thing is something that the employers should be worried about. I’m not sure how the Dept. of Labor would look at someone who said they were “just learning” yet had a college degree and weren’t getting at least the federally-mandated minimum wage.
I personally liked the response from the first response from UCONN the best. It seems to make the most sense. Many students exit their university with very little direction on where they are headed in life. Do you remember what it was like to be 21 or 22? How can we expect these young people to know where they are headed? They need to be mentored, molded, shaped into the next generation of leaders. An internship could be the beginning of that road.
