From classrooms to workplace: How internships transform careers and companies
Students who complete internships are more likely to have a job upon graduation and tend to earn higher salaries later in their careers, says Amanda Harrell of the office of Student Engagement and Career Development.
Read internship stories submitted by your colleagues as well as current and former students.
While the start of the fall semester is still a month away, many University of Arizona students are hard at work – and have been all summer.
In recognition of National Intern Day, which falls on July 25, we talked with Amanda Harrell, senior program manager of internships and early talent connections in the office of Student Engagement and Career Development. Harrell facilitates meetings between employers and students, and helps students find internships they are interested in.
The benefits of internships, she said, extend to both employer and student.
Large employers see interns as potential future employees, and internships allow them to assess candidates in a real work environment over an extended period. This approach helps companies secure top talent early and come end up offering full-time positions to successful interns upon graduation.
"Internships help large employers build their talent pipeline," Harrell said. "This trend is common across internships in engineering, sales and finance."
Amanda Harrell, senior program manager of internships and early talent connections, Student Engagement and Career Development
For smaller organizations, including nonprofits, interns bring fresh perspectives and new ideas, challenge established norms, and spark innovations, she said.
No matter the industry or the size of the employer, internships give students the opportunity to:
- Explore career paths before committing to one.
- Gain real-world experience.
- Narrow the gap between their academic knowledge and professional application.
Perhaps more importantly, completing an internship can mean a higher likelihood of landing a job upon graduation.
Students who completed internships were almost two times more likely to report full-time employment at the time of graduation, according to the university's 2019-20 Graduating Senior Survey.
Demand for interns can vary by field, she said, which is why it's important for students to cast a wide net when applying, and even consider positions outside their major.
Students might – wrongly – feel that internships are less important if their major is something like creative writing as opposed to engineering.
But, Harrell said, just the experience of being an intern is valuable, and can pay dividends later.
"Students who did internships during college tend to see higher salaries later in their career," she said.