Most of us have had to commit our summers to some random entry-level job for the extra pocket money. Summer jobs are rarely a good experience and hardly have anything to do with the career path you are pursuing. Would you really put your cashier experience on your resume when you’re applying to be a journalist, financial adviser, or social media manager? These jobs do little for you other than provide low wages for mind-numbing work, and that is why internships will replace them.
A lot of jobs no longer require just a degree, but instead fresh grads who also have experience. When employers are looking for experience, they don’t care about the many summers you spent working in a warehouse or stocking shelves. Many employers want at least one year of experience in the field you are applying for to even be considered for the position. How are you supposed to gain relevant experience when you are still in school or have recently obtained your degree?
Most internships don’t require experience, and instead are set up to teach a newcomer who wants to learn more. When you take on an entry-level retail, fast food, or restaurant position you don’t have much room to move up, but internships can lead to great opportunities.
According to Forbes, 69% of companies with 100 or more employees offered a full-time job to those who interned with them in 2012. The chief marketing officer of Internships.com, Stuart Lander, says that “you have a 7 in 10 chance of being hired by the company you interned with.” There are many internships that either pay low wages or don’t pay at all, but they can lead to work that pays much more than the typical summer job.
It’s entirely possible that you won’t get hired by the company for which you interned, but the internship can help you get another job in the field. A survey done by Internships.com found that 66% of employers want relevant work experience in the employees whom they consider hiring. The key word here is “relevant,” which is where your internship is helpful and your cashier job at McDonald’s is not.
One of the pros of a summer job is that you can make some money to cover some of your rent or food costs, but many of them hardly pay over minimum wage. Internships have a bad reputation for being unpaid, but the ones that do pay tend to offer living wages. According to a study done by NACE (National Association of Colleges & Employers), the average freshman intern makes $14.54 an hour. The hourly wage only increases the longer you are in school as the average wage for senior interns is $17.47.
There’s nothing wrong with working a summer job, but if you have the opportunity to obtain an internship it can help you on so many levels. If you have the time it can even be worth having a summer job and an internship to make some extra cash. However, once more employers start paying their interns, it will become less likely that they will feel the need to keep their summer work.
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