Here are four questions worth thinking about when we try to teach someone something:
- How hard is it to learn the thing you are teaching me?
- How much change will be created by the thing you are teaching me?
- What’s the prize I get at the end of learning whatever it is that you are teaching me?
- Is all of this worth the time, effort, and money (resources) I will need to invest to learn what you teach me?
Since most internship offers seem to be oversubscribed, there appears to be no lack of desire, effort, or resources to complete them. That said, it’s worth asking these questions before you jump in. But for now, let’s concentrate on the prize at the end of completing an internship:
- An entry on a CV – least favourite outcome but maybe you think it is better than nothing.
- A foot in the door to a job at the place you intern – the most hopeful outcome.
- The experience taught you something useful or changed your mind about what you do and who you do it for – the most surprising outcome.
- Last but not least, during your time as an intern you created and shipped something – a project, a piece of work, or a reflective script – out in the open, for all to see.
For the last one to happen, the environment likely contained one or all of the following elements:
- Peer review meetings
- Self-reflective scripts
- 360 Degree Feedback
- Shadow Coaching
- Deliberate practice
- Mindfulness practice
Intentional design is at the heart of an internship experience, and it’s clear from talking to students who have experienced it firsthand that it’s a buyer-beware market.
I hope this helps you make an informed choice.