Making the most of your internship

Today marks the final day of my internship at the Case Foundation, along with co-interns Andrea Lum and Nikolai Stieglitz. After countless hours spent blogging, researching, reporting and editing, I’m transitioning to the next stage in my life - a reality that is both exciting and a little intimidating.

I’m certainly not alone in this experience; 75% of US college students complete an internship during their undergraduate career. Internships provide a wealth of opportunities: to gain hands-on work experience, learn more about a company or industry, build professional relationships and improve one’s chances of landing a full-time job after graduation. Many companies use internships to recruit new hires - in fact, last year employers hired nearly 70% of interns for full-time positions.

These days, it seems that interning is its own rite of passage. College students commiserate over the struggles of balancing an internship with the stresses of schoolwork, extracurriculars, and job hunting. Internships certainly aren’t easy, nor do they typically pay well (if at all), but we keep coming back, whether to improve our job prospects or get a taste of the “real world” while still in college.

Andrea, Nikolai and I came to the Case Foundation for different reasons, but we leave with the same fondness for the work that the organization does and for the people who dedicate so much to doing that work. As we say our farewells, we take the opportunity to reflect on the past few semesters and offer advice to those who come after us. We created a short video to document the highlights of our experiences as well as to share our tips for success at any internship, whether in the nonprofit/philanthropic sector or elsewhere.