After my first week in the “real world” (aka doing a summer internship) I was a little exhausted and very relieved. I was exhausted because I wasn’t used to waking up before lunch or working eight-hour days. But I was thankful because I loved the work I was doing, and my office was surrounded with kind, helpful people that never asked me to grab them coffee.
Spending a summer doing an internship has its pros and cons. Some decide to spend their summers abroad, gallivanting across Europe, while others may choose to stay in Gainesville, take some extra classes and save up money (that they will probably end up spending at midtown anyways). Some may choose to do an internship simply to fill the credit, while others (like myself) see it as the true gateway into a future career. Whatever you choose, educate yourself on the positives and negatives that accompany a corporate summer.
Via: glassdoor.com
PRO: You spend your summer break doing things that you actually care about.
You don’t have to sit in a class and listen to your “Extreme Weather” professor lecture about something you’re never going to use. Nor do you waste your days away on Netflix. You go to your big kid job and do things that are important to you and those around you.
CON: The corporate world doesn’t sleep in until noon.
With an adult job comes a more mature lifestyle. This lifestyle doesn’t include classes that don’t start until 12:50, or all online classes for that matter (I’m talking to you, business majors). Say “hello” to the nine to five grind, dress pants and cubicles.
Via: Google Plus
PRO: You make crucial connections that will help you post-graduation.
Maybe you get a job offer at the end of your internship. Who doesn’t love the idea of job security? Or not having to move back in with Mom and Dad? Maybe you get a great letter of recommendation from your supervisor, or maybe you just make friends with your fellow interns that will let you crash on their couch if you end up homeless.
CON: Having an important job means you are responsible for important matters.
Long gone are the summers of all day “Chopped” marathons, day drinking at Royal Village or sitting in your room doing nothing at all. Summers can symbolize the “no worries” mentality for most, but an internship means dedication and motivation.
Via: theatlantic.com
PRO: You get actual experience to put on your resume.
The whole point of an internship is to gain valuable experience that you can’t get in a classroom. This is the trial period, your chance to test out your major to make sure it’s really what you want to do before you’re walking across the stage realizing that you actually hate finance.
CON: You scored your dream internship, but it’s unpaid.
As a college kid, I assume you’re pretty much broke. Having an unpaid internship only makes matters worse. You must rely on your fellow interns or friendly employees to fill you in on the best happy hours near the office. (Where’s Balls when you actually need it?)
PRO: You get to step out of your comfort zone.
Sure, the unknown is scary. But a summer internship in an unfamiliar city is the perfect opportunity to try new things. Stick your foot in the water; it might even make life as a graduate a little less foreign.
Look at it as an opportunity to branch out from the comforts of Gainesville for a few months.
CON: You figure out whether this isn’t the chosen path for you.
I can only imagine how frightening it must be to go into an internship with the mindset that this will be your future, only to find out you actually can’t stand any part of it. And as each second ticks by graduation looms closer and closer. Worse case scenario, you change your major and start fresh. At least you had the internship to open your eyes.
Granted, every person has a different pros and cons list that determines what makes a summer internship worth it. Some may agree with Lil Wayne when he said, “money is the motive.” But in my personal opinion, the pro that outweighs all cons is having an internship that you actually enjoy. Hey, it’s one way to feel a little bit more hopeful about life after undergrad.
Featured photo courtesy of: Huffington Post
