The Internship.

For anybody unsure of the right internship this summer, these are some tips that can help you decide what it is you should do:

1. Although it is tempting to choose the internship with the best paycheck, that should not be your top priority. At this stage in life, learning and knowledge are more valuable than money. An unpaid internship that will teach you everything you need to know about your field is more valuable than $20/hour doing data entry or tedious administrative work. Choose an internship where you will have the maximum opportunities to learn.

2. You want to attack this internship with a completely open-mind. Observe the people around you. Listen and be aware of everything that is going on, inside and out. Take on responsibilities and look at them as opportunities to accumulate and learn new skills. Gain connections and dive right into whatever it is you're doing. If you're trying to learn and realize your potential, you really get what you put into the internship experience. If you're trying to coast and do the minimum to not get fired, you probably won't get very far in that field and should find something else.

3. Treat this job or internship like an adventure, understanding that your 20's are a time for exploring and experimenting. There is no rush to get a job just to get paid a high salary. You're figuring out what you want to do and who you want to be for the rest of your life. You need to experiment and try 4 or 5 different jobs until you find your calling. Your mindset shouldn't be getting as much money as possible. It should be on accumulating skills and experience, because nobody can take that from you and it will set you up for a lifetime of success.

4. The people that scoff at the idea of unpaid internships as free labor usually don't see the educational value an internship provides. Many people learn more during their internships and first jobs than all four years of school. And that internship won't put you $100,000 in debt like your university education did. 

Don't forget the value of an internship. It is an opportunity to give you an inside look of how a company works and will give you invaluable experience into whatever industry you're set on. 

Sometimes it is hard to know what you're getting yourself into. Will that internship really give you the networking, skills and experience you crave or will you find yourself going on coffee runs all day? Can you really trust what the company promises you? Unless you know somebody personally that has done an internship, you're pretty much in the dark on this stuff.

At howdyon.com, my team and I have talked to over over 75 different students that have done over 75 different internships, asking them all the important questions. We've spent at least an hour interviewing each student to get the most in-depth, comprehensive insight available. For the next 7 days, all of our internship guides will be free. Go to howdyon.com today to get yourself prepared for this summer!