BY SHARON BEARD
STAFF WRITER
Internships offer great opportunities for students wishing to gain experience in their field
of study while working toward their degree. An internship can help fill the gaps in your resume and give you actual experience which can mean the difference between getting an interview, let alone a job after graduation.
Finding an internship can be difficult if you live in a small town because it can limit employment opportunities due to the fact that small towns have a smaller population and less economic growth which result is less employment opportunities. Virtual internships make it possible for any student to gain experience no matter where they live. It can provide a student from a small town the opportunity to intern at a large company in their field of study.
Virtual internships are available in finance, marketing, journalism, computer science and many other fields. Some internships are paid but some are not.
It is also a good way for college students to balance their busy lives and still gain practical experience. Virtual internships offer you the flexibility of working from home, school or anywhere with a WiFi connection and a web cam.
Virtual internships offer students the ability to network with professionals in their career field. This can help students gain professional references to enhance their resume or aid in a job search after graduation. This is especially beneficial if students would like to relocate after graduation.
A virtual internship allows you to gain authentic experience in your field of study as well as working in virtual groups. It also allows you to try out a job in your career path to see if it’s a good fit.
However, there are a few drawbacks such as the lack of personal interaction, not being able to interact with coworkers or obtain feedback from management. Another drawback is that an online internship does not teach you the responsibilities of being on time or how to conduct yourself in an office environment.
There are several websites, such as internships.com, that assist students in their search for an internship which provides positions in 6,221 cities in all 50 states. Other websites such as youtern.com and urbaninterns.com are also great places to start.
