Should internships be a college requirement?

It makes some sense to me. Especially in some fields.

Should Internships Be a College Requirement? - Yahoo! Small Business Advisor

 

Great question! I am interested to hear what others have to say but here is my 2 cents. My program required an internship to graduate. The idea of being forced to pay for work experience was annoying but I can say I gained valuable experience and it absolutely was one of the reasons I was able to get a job when I graduated. Though I should note a few things 1) I took the initiative on my own and did two internships. One was required, the other I did not for credit but just for the learning experience. Both were paid positions. 2) Neither place hired me after my internship because they did not have any openings, they just needed someone on the cheap to do the grunt work, lol. But because I was able to work at both places a full semester, it not only looked great on my resume but it gave me applicable experience to pull from when it came time to interviewing for a full time position.

Certain people, like people with full time jobs, do not really need to do an internship provided they are gaining experience in some capacity that is related to their degree. Which is obviously easy to do with a degree like business, communication, etc. However, like the previous poster suggested, certain fields would benefit greatly from an internship, like healthcare computer science, engineering, accounting, etc.

I graduated from The University of Oklahoma and every program I am aware of required an internship. I think this did a few things. Obviously it gave the students experience but I think it also creates a great network between the school and employers. Employers get to experience students on temporary terms first, then decide if they want to move forward with that intern for full time openings. When they have good experiences, they will keep going back to the school to find students for future openings.

I personally prefer programs that have internships but even when an internship isn't required, the student has the option to go out on their own and find an employer who will allow them to do an internship. It doesn't have to be for credit but it is still a documented work experience.

 

Some of us do a long internship while doing a degree completion program. Mine was very looooong – like 20 years of engineering internship! :irked:

 

The forensic lab at which I am employed usually gets several interns a year. I think internships can be a great experience for both the student and the lab, but I'm not sure they should be required for all areas or as already pointed out, for working professionals.

Another thing to consider is that internships are often a lot of work for the employer. Our interns tell stories of fellow students interning at other labs doing little more than mopping floors and washing glassware. Our interns are required to complete a research project (usually addressing some question one of us analysts has) as well as sit in on formal lectures from our lab supervisor. Fortunately he enjoys that and it satisfies his need to lecture (smile). There are also written and oral exams. Our interns do get some grunt work, but it is minimal and the amount is based largely on which analyst they get assigned to. All or interns leave ready to perform at least one job function competently and we have heard positive reports from their employers a year or two later.

I personally never had an internship and barely knew what one was, but I did get attached to a research group and was able to do undergraduate research projects that were of significant benefit to me. In graduate school I did research but no internship.

I am aware that some forensic labs are moving away from accepting interns because of the work involved. I'm not sure how to best address that issue. Also, our lab is restricting the scope of research projects due to budget concerns. Even a simple project that can require ordering $1000 worth of supplies is likely to get turned down. I'm not sure we could even allow a student to pick up the tab.

Just more things to think about.