A job to do

Internships are usually undertaken in order to get credits or experience in a particular course. What do students expect out of an internship? We find out

Bhavneet Singh

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Internships for students are like insights into the future. They expect to get a sneak- peek into their future. It’s a time when one gets to decide whether one wants to take a particular career. And if the internship is a paid one then there is nothing like it. Often students can’t wait to get to start earning, but, is the grass as green as it looks? Or is it just an illusion?

We spoke to a few interns from various fields and this is what they had to say.

“I got whatever I wanted!” says Vaishnavi Gopalakrishnan, a PR intern. “PR is a field where academics cannot teach you much. Field exposure is the only way that we can gain some knowledge and understanding. And luckily, my internship is giving me everything I want,” she adds.

Krishitha Gunti, an intern at an event management company has a different story to tell. “It certainly is not what I had expected it to be. When I joined as an intern, I was expected to assist people on how to organise an event. But two weeks into it, all I’ve done is picked up papers, and got coffee for my seniors. Now, it’s just become a certificate thing for me rather than an experience,” she says.

Krishitha’s statement does sum up what other interns are facing. However, Amrit Kosaraju, a journalism intern says, “It’s not how I imagined it to be. That doesn’t mean it’s not good. I came here expecting to do a lot of interviews and reports, but I realised it’s too early for me. I do small reports and I’m happy with it. I am looking forward to make the best of this opportunity.”

Bhavdeep Singh, an intern with an insurance company has similar views. “It’s not as easy as it looks. It takes a toll on your health. The work pressure is immense. And it’s tough to digest that I am still an intern,” says Bhavdeep.

“The future somehow would be better as I would be paid for my work unlike now,” he says hopefully.

For Ayushi Khandelwal, her internship will help her decide if she wants to make her career in photography. “I’m using this as an opportunity to decide if I have to take up photography in the future or not,” she says. “I am learning more about this field by jumping into it. If it suits me, then I will take it up in the future otherwise, the world is full of career options,” Ayushi adds.

For Anjana, a law intern, her internship was filled with a lot of ups and downs. She says, “I interned with various law firms. Being new to this field, I got to learn a lot. At the beginning you remain clueless about what’s going around you, I had to do a lot of homework to understand what’s going on, let alone, working for them. Those were times when I had to do clerical tasks like taking printouts of documents, arrange them in chronological order, etc. But then again, I got to learn the filing procedures needed for work. Things got simpler once I was familiarised with the procedures. No more bringing coffee. In fact, then it was like a privileged internship, when you get served coffee twice a day, and get to sit in an air-conditioned room. I’m quite happy with all my experiences. It gets bad only when I have to stay for long hours doing nothing.”

For all graduating students, internships is a great learning experience. It helps you get acquainted with the career of your choice. Though they are not paid for it, they do get a chance to learn from the best in the business which is totally worth it. Like everything, it has its crests and troughs, but at the end of the day, the interns have nothing to lose. It’s an experience which helps them gain a lot, and that itself is the essence of internship.

With inputs from Sneha Mashetty and Sameena Kenaz

Tags: Bhavneet Singh, expectation, Internships

Category: Life & Style, Life & Style News