Author: tbrg

blog Internship | 4min Read

How Internship Can Help Your Future

Published on September 17, 2020

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How Internship Can Help Your Future

Think about starting a new job without knowing the first thing about what you will be doing.  Now imagine a position where you have had an opportunity to work in the field and gain firsthand knowledge.  That is what an internship can do for you.

Finding an internship means that you will get to work in the field and learn on the job from someone who already has experience.

Real-Life Experience

An internship means that you can get some real-life experience in your chosen field.  Gaining this experience gives you a chance to build your skill set, gain knowledge, and use the theoretical practice you have been studying.  Education and knowledge are two different things.  In essence, you get an education to go out into the work world, and once out in the work world, you gain your knowledge.

An internship can give you a feel for what a particular job is like and whether you enjoy it.  It allows you to work in an industry or at a company to get a sense of whether it is a good fit for you.

If it does not turn out to be a fit, you have still gained experience doing something new, which is beneficial.  It is even more useful if you can get an internship in a new environment.  Moving to a new community means that you will be gaining exposure to new people and possibly new surroundings.

An internship will give you some experience in the professional world without the same stress and pressure associated with a full-time career.

Opportunity For Self-Introspection

Doing something out of your everyday routine will also give you the chance to learn more about yourself.  Working in a new environment will enable you to learn about your goals and ambitions and reach them.

An internship also helps you to determine if you are on the right career path.  Sometimes you may have an idea in mind of what you want to do, but when you get there, your expectations are not met.

Doing an internship allows you to decide if you have made the right career choice or if there may be something more suited to your abilities and interests.

Develop Your Professional Network

Maybe you will love your internship and be happy with the choices you have made.  Even before you finish school, working in the field will help you build your network and mingle with others in the profession.

Networking is an essential step in the career world.  When you do an internship, try to meet as many people as possible and always act professionally.  You never know who you may encounter and how it could help to advance your future career. 

Make Your Name Known

When you have the opportunity to do an internship, it is putting your name out there.  Having your name known is an excellent way to ensure that you get past the first step when applying for jobs in the future.

When a company receives resumes for a posting, they need a process to weed them out and only look at the best.  If you have an opportunity to make your name known ahead of time, this will help when it is time to submit applications for jobs.

Often, the person who is screening the resumes will look to experience to see what you have to offer in the field and how much practical experience you have.  Even if you are new to the job search, if you have had an internship, it means you have experience!

 You can highlight what tasks and projects you did as an intern and how you can offer value to the company on your resume.

The Transition

It can be hard to gain employment immediately, but being an intern gives you a head start.  Companies will often hire interns in the future for full-time postings.

The company has already invested in you, so if you show that you are capable and indispensable, you may get a permanent job following the internship.

Professional Feedback

Doing an internship is also a great way to gain some feedback on your performance.  Though you will learn theory in the classroom, it is different than applying it to real-life situations.

Take constructive criticism and learn from it so that you can improve your skills for your current and future endeavours.  If you are open and willing to learn, you will gain a lot from participating in an internship.

You will gain experience in the industry, and you will learn how to be better.  Working gives you an advantage over people who have not taken part in an internship opportunity.

The Impact

Having an internship will have a significant impact on your future career.  If it is not a paid internship, you still get the experience and other benefits.  If paid, it allows you to use the money to further your learning through professional development opportunities.

Do not discount an internship if it does not pay; the long term payoff is what you seek.  And any experience that you can get will look great on your resume.

The India Skills Report 2019 states, “Internship is not the only factor that determines employability, but it is a critical factor.”

The report discusses the importance of being able to unlearn some things and then re-learn them.  It will be an essential skill to keep updated on the latest developments in the chosen field.  Being an intern can help to teach this skill much more effectively than classroom learning.

The Bottom Line

Taking an internship will help you to achieve your goals and reach your highest potential!

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Growth Year – Benefits of Gap Year After High School

Published on September 1, 2020

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Growth Year – Benefits of Gap Year After High School

“17 is too young to go to college,” my theology and philosophy professor once told me in our after class discussions at Cornell.

I was contemplating taking a year off from Cornell to pursue an internship with a member of Parliament back in India and wanted to get some guidance from numerous professors at Cornell. I had already taken one year after high school to go to an American boarding school called Phillips Academy for a post graduate program (popularly known as a PG year)

Taking break from the academic life after high school and in the middle of my college education were some of the best and critical decisions that I took in my life. US colleges have had a long tradition of a “deferment” and many students avail this opportunity. I hope that all children figuring out that way forward in their personal or academic life should contemplate taking a gap year or I like to call it: “The Growth year.”

I would like to highlight some of the ways the two “growth years” in life helped me before and during my academic life in the US:

1. Academic Standing:

Being from a traditional British boarding school in India, Mayo College, I was exposed to a basic CBSE education. While I performed well in my classes, we had no exposure on research papers, citations and critical writing. At Phillips Academy, I enrolled in courses like Sports Philosophy, reading music (a mandatory requirement at the school) and even took African drumming. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed but gradually understood the importance of a core curriculum. My English classes helped me score higher on the SAT and most importantly, improved my critical thinking and writing skills. I also give the credit for getting straight A’s in college to my rigorous training at Phillips Academy.

2. Athletics:

As a national squash player, I was also looking at avenues to get better at a sport that I had consumed much of my middle and high school commitments. Initial months after completing my board examinations and during my year at Phillips Academy, I got an opportunity to train and compete with the best coaches and student athletes from around the world. I competed in the US national squash circuit and the high school nationals and met Ivy league coaches looking to recruit students.

3. Work Opportunity:

Internships are critical to our growth. I am relieved that the new education policy in India mandates every high schooler to avail this opportunity. Looking at my peers at Phillips academy motivated to me to look at internships a lot more seriously. I was tired of telling people that I was just going to play squash over the summer compared to their “volunteering work in West Africa for endangered species” or “interning at the NY trading center.” Yes, these are all high school internships. After countless emails, I interned with two companies even before I embarked on my collegiate journey. I worked in the “International procurement” division at Godrej and Boyce (a conglomerate in India) and at a German consulting firm in Bangalore on bringing best sustainability resources to India. I believe that internships tell you “what you do not like to do” a lot more than “what you love to do.” These experiences give you better insight into the social and corporate structures of the world and give valuable life lessons that can be leveraged in college.

4. Do something you love:

For me, that love was squash. As mentioned before, during my “growth year,” I tried to become the best squash player I could ever be. I travelled around the world, attended a Harvard squash camp and made sure to love every single moment. After grueling 4 years of competitive academic journey, playing squash and living a healthy life was a much needed respite from the real world. I urge all the students to seek for what they truly love, travel to uncharted territories, take a music lesson and work for your community. The emotional maturity and social skills that you will acquire during these years will remain with you forever.

Contrary to popular belief, or what I like to call “Aunt/Uncle” belief in India, students are constantly told not to take a year off in their life whether that is after high school, college or while one is engrossed in their professional life. From personal experience, the “growth year” will not only help you to lead a more fulfilling and fruitful life, but will also give you a much needed pause to reflect, battle your fears and get into college or in life with a “growth mindset.”

Big Red Education and our Ivy Early Entrepreneur Program

In our entrepreneurial workshop – Ivy Early Entrepreneur, students go through the process of business development and leave the entrepreneur program having completed a business model canvas, competitive analysis, financial model, minimum viable product, and a pitch deck.

Students get an opportunity to learn from successful entrepreneurs who are alumni of reputed universities and are experts in their respective industries.

These experts serve as coaches guiding students through the processes of developing a business concept. Risk-Taking, Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Communication &

Storytelling, Design Thinking & Innovation, and Opportunity Recognition are a few of the key learning areas of our program.

On successfully completing the entrepreneur workshop, the guaranteed internship will be extended to all the students within our partner firms and with most of the mentors teaching the program. Students will be provided with a certificate of participation by Big Red Education. This certificate can be used for your college portfolio.

Ivy Early Entrepreneur

11th – 17th Jan 2022

Idea Generation | Market Research | Design Thinking | Pitching

Learn More

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