Sydney Taylor, Staff Writer
It’s common knowledge that when applying for a job, employers like to see that an applicant has had some prior experience working in that field. That’s what makes internships so great. Students get the experience employers like and they also learn things that they wouldn’t in a regular classroom setting.
Given how much of an impact an internship can have on obtaining a job, they are something that every student should actively purse. In order to ensure that this is happening, schools should make internships a graduation requirement.
By making internships a graduation requirement, students will be motivated to search for opportunities sooner rather than later. The earlier a student can obtain an internship, the earlier they can start learning outside of the classroom.
This also means that students can quickly figure out if they are headed down the right track regarding their major. An internship will help them determine what they do and don’t like, what their strengths and weaknesses are and what’s the best fit for them.
Making internships a graduation requirement also ensures that after graduation students will find quality jobs quickly.
According to poll conducted by Gallup, “Recent graduates (those who graduated from 2002-2016) who had a relevant job or internship while in school were more than twice as likely to acquire a good job immediately after graduation.”
The poll also notes that not only are those jobs good and acquired within a timely manner, but they are also related to the student’s area of study.
One of the biggest concerns about internships is that in order to obtain credit from their school, students have to pay tuition. Many opponents of internships as a graduation requirement feel that this is a concern that isn’t properly addressed, especially given that certain internships are unpaid.
According to Looksharp’s 2016 State of Millennial Hiring Report, “55 percent of internships were paid, up from 52.5 percent in 2015.”
Given that paid internships are on the rise, students no longer have to worry as much about paying the tuition for their internships and being able to receive credit.
Internships are key to a student’s success in obtaining a job after graduation. If schools are not willing to immediately implement an internship requirement, it’s important that they still emphasize the important of internships to their students and keep them well informed about internship opportunities.
Edited by: Brea Childs
Wingate Triangle 