Resources for AISES Members

• Visit the Career Center at aises.org.
• Review the summer opportunities in the Paths in Education section of the Fall Winds of Change.
• Attend the College and Career Fair at the National Conference to learn about a wide range of internships.
• Read “Start Now to Land an Internship for Next Year” (September 2016 Pathways) 

Online Resources

• “Internships: the Ultimate Return on Investments for Today’s College Students” (Forbes)
• “Five Things You Need to Know About Internships” (Forbes)
• “Should You Do an Internship?” (The Balance)
• “5 Reasons Why You Should Do an Internship” (HerCampus)
• “Why Are Internships So Important?” (CNN)
• “5 Things You Should Always Consider Before Accepting an Internship” (Business Insider)
• “Should I Take an Unpaid Internship This Summer?” (USA Today)
• “Learning While Earning: the New Normal” (Georgetown University)

If your path is clear — say you want to be a nature photographer — then you need to ensure that any internship you take will allow you to move toward that goal. Sitting in an office is probably not going to help you get where you want to go. Instead, you should look for a hands-on internship with a photographer, or someone who works with animals, or even in a gallery or the marketing department at a company. Keep in mind that the internship may not be a direct correlation, but it can still be very helpful. For example, working in a gallery may not allow you to actually take photos, but it may help you better understand the business side of photography, and to refine the type of photography you want to focus on as you build your portfolio.



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At some point during your college career, you’ll probably consider an internship. But there’s a lot to think about before you sign on — most importantly, will a particular internship get you where you want to go? Even before you consider whether you should do an internship, you need to be clear about your goals. Think about where you see yourself in five years, or 10 years. Do you see yourself as an entrepreneur, a researcher, or a teacher? Or have you no idea?

If your path is clear, that’s easy — look for internships that will help you to move toward that goal. But internships can be even more valuable if you don’t have a clear career path because the experience can help you find out what you do — or don’t — want to do. Find an internship that looks interesting, maybe because it’s a field you’re considering or an organization you like. These internships can be invaluable to your self-discovery. You may find after an internship that a field you thought would be a good fit is not something you want to pursue after all. Finding that out now can save years of unhappiness. And that experience is just as relevant as someone else’s successful internship in their chosen field.

• Ask yourself questions like, "Can I afford to do this internship?" "What tangible benefits am I going to get?"
• Confirm that you’ve considered all options
• Research the company or organization before you accept an internship
• Get a clear understanding of what would be expected of you on a daily basis
• See if you can get college credit or be paid for the internship
• Get firsthand accounts from former interns 

• Assume that you have to do an internship in order to be successful
• Choose an internship because everybody else is
• Assume that an internship is all low-level work
• Underestimate the power of an internship
• Assume that internships are unpaid
• Take an internship if you cannot afford it