For better or worse, internships have quickly gone from an extra edge on a resume to a near-requirement for entry in many industries. For most millennials, internships have become the norm, and for most employers they’ve become an outright expectation. Regardless of the long-term prospects—lawsuits from former interns seem to threaten their existence every couple years at this point—it seems clear that, for now at least, taking on an internship is a necessary evil if not a savvy career starter. And yet, post-internship success remains precarious and many non-paying job training programs are aligned to help a company at the expense of all-too-often naive youngsters. (Hence the angry lawsuits.)
Nonetheless, in hard-to-break-into industries as varied as becoming a lawyer, starting a career as a writer, or even trades jobs, an internship is often the only gateway into an entry-level position. More than ever, companies are using interns to build up a pool of rising stars, but still, and especially given the possibility of exploitation, hopeful interns ought to be more than a little cautious in their search. (Similar to when looking for a job, asking your potential employer about day-to-day responsibilities is a good first step in sussing out whether you’re gonna be fetching coffee all day or gaining legitimate professional experience.)
The biggest question for many young people at the start of their careers is not when to take an internship but when to pass one up or move on all together. An early start is a leg-up in any industry and internships allow opportunities for professional development as early as high-school. By now, in most professional fields, some sort of internship is expected of a college graduate and often the postings have become academic requirements and more competitive than ever as a result. But, given high rates of unemployment and a persistently uneasy economy, it’s not uncommon for late 20-somethings to find themselves entrapped in a vicious cycle of internship jumping, and turning the nascent professional experience into full-time (and full-paying) work has become the real trick.
As with most career advice, things are industry specific, but continuing down the internship hole for too long or getting taken advantage of is a universal danger. With that in mind, when should you actually turn down an internship or hold out for an entry-level job? Firstly, your finances should be the primary motivator here. If you can afford to take an internship without going broke or into debt you’re already in good shape. If you can’t, taking a non or low-paying internship in a big city might be next to impossible and is probably not worth spreading yourself thin for. More generally, it’s worth weighing the potential trajectory of former interns in the program you’re interested in: do they secure job placements frequently? If not, ask yourself what you can gain from the experience either directly or indirectly. If you’re in high-school a menial internship isn’t so bad, if you’re fresh out of college and breaking into a professional role though you should definitely expect to perform duties that jive with your education or experience.
Ultimately, an internship should be a path to a job or serve as a legitimate bit of professional experience. Almost as bad as the low pay, if you’re looking at a second (or third) internship in a row, think about what that looks like on your resume. It might look like you’re stuck in place, and it probably feels even worse. Generally, expect to take at least one to three internships to jumpstart your career. Once you’re out of school or you’re trained enough to qualify as a professional, more than two consecutive internships is cause for concern. Skip the internship if you can’t pay the bills or it seems like a professional dead-end. If you’re performing the same tasks as your paid coworkers as an intern, you’re probably on the right track, but your next step is a job like theirs.
