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Post-College
Internships and temporary jobs can be an efficient way to test your prospective careers after you’ve left college behind. Also, they can help open the door to a better position than the standard entry-level jobs most recent graduates wind up getting. You can also never undervalue a good reference — no matter what level of the workforce you’re in.

During College
Experience, experience, experience. Internships can help you learn the daily activities of the profession you want to pursue. They can also be an effective litmus test if you’re kind of shaky in terms of post-grad plans; use them to determine what you want to do, but also use them to determine what you don’t want to do.

Even Pre-College
Internships can help you test the waters of the working world. If you don’t know what you want to major in, career mentoring programs for those still in high school can give you a leg up on finalizing your future plans. Nearly two out of three interns are offered jobs at companies they’ve interned at, so don’t hesitate to reach out and find out what companies are offering. Even if they don’t offer you permanent employment, internships help build your networking database — whether you stay or go. - todd williams

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