Rise of the Fall Internships

Internships almost always get associated with summer, and this has been accurate until the past couple of years. Students have continued to put a large focus on obtaining the summer internship until recently the idea of an internship during the fall semester of school has become increasingly popular. A fall internship can be extremely influential in your college career for numerous reasons.

A fall internship usually lasts for the entire semester. Unlike a summer internship that will normally last 2-3 months, a fall internship can begin at the start of the school year and finish at the end of the semester (usually December). This can be as long as 4 to 5 months. This longer period of work allows the intern to have a deeper experience in that career field. Sometimes we think a particular job would be a fantastic position, but when we get exposure to the job we learn we might not actually like it as much as we did in our head, and that's okay. Better to make the realization now, then 10 years down the road at the job you dislike! If a longer exposure to the job leads you to like the career, you have learned and found a passion in life!

Time management is such a crucial component of fall internships. Time management is one of the most important skills I have learned. Taking an internship during the school year is not easy if you have a number of other classes to focus on as well. Internships can be demanding and you can not let your schoolwork fall behind. Learning to balance school work, an internship, and school life is hard, but it is a skill that is necessary to have for the future.

Focusing on your future is so important, and it is why you took the responsibility of getting an internship, to better your future. Remember to work diligently every day at your internship and put 100% effort into all of your work. Impress your boss and colleagues with a tireless work ethic. Many employers can offer employment opportunities after you complete your internship, and especially if you showed them how great of an employee you can be! If your internship does not result in an employment offer, you are still leading your future. You have made numerous business relations and acquired work experience.

Fall internships during the school year can be time-consuming, so it is best to think of it as another college credit course. Make sure with the other classes you take that semester, you can still balance the workload of the internship. Figuring out the work, school, life balance can be tricky but rewarding.