Finding Meaningful Internship Opportunities As A Teenager
Introduction
In recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on students’ skills and character development outside of academic prowess. It has become common for children and teenagers to search for relevant activities to partake in outside of school. Internships are one way of broadening one’s skill set and completing meaningful tasks.
An internship is a professional learning opportunity that often provides teenagers with their first glimpse into the workforce. These short-term opportunities allow students to gain entry-level work experience in their field of interest. Further, they enable students to explore potential future careers and develop professional connections while still in school. These benefits set them apart from other applicants in the college admission process.
While some internships span year-round, other opportunities require varying time commitments. For example, summer internships require students to commit to a role for up to two months, and either commute to the workplace every week or complete work virtually. Further, some short-term internships last from two to eight weeks, and focus on the skill development of interns.
Today, many businesses and laboratories across the US actively hire teenagers to aid with research projects, implement new programs, or complete internal tasks that range between workspaces. Interns are often assigned a mentor who guides them through the process of integrating into the work environment and encourages them to take initiative with their work.
As the value of internships for high schoolers continues to grow, teenagers are actively seeking new opportunities to develop essential skills and build their resumes.
The Benefits of High School Internships
There are multiple reasons as to why teenagers often seek internships over other resume-building opportunities.
Professional career exploration: By interning at labs, businesses, and non-profit organizations, teenagers gain real-world experience in fields that interest them. This helps them select a potential college major in the future. Further, interns can interact with and work alongside professionals in their chosen field of work, and complete hands-on work that adds to their understanding of concepts and skills needed to succeed in the workspace.
Skill development: Meaningful internships allow students to develop an array of hard and soft skills such as communication, research, critical thinking, and teamwork. Hard skills refer to job-related abilities; in a computer science internship, this may entail programming and technical abilities. Soft skills are personal traits such as empathy and resilience, which are transferable between different types of jobs.
Resume building: High school students can list the projects they work on during an internship, on their professional resumes and college applications. Work experience is an essential part of any college application. Meaningful contributions show admissions officers that a student is self-driven and has taken the initiative to familiarize themselves with their field of study in the past. Further, it highlights an applicant’s capability to balance academics and extra-curriculars, as well as handle difficult work. It will also aid them in the process of applying for jobs in the future.
Networking: In an internship, the people you meet are just as important as the work you complete. Networking is an essential aspect of every workspace. These opportunities open up doors for interns to make professional connections in their field of study and find mentors to write letters of recommendation for them in the future.
Types of Internships
Internships fall into two overarching categories: paid and unpaid. Paid internships are especially common in the fields of medicine, science, and technology. They are usually open to exceptional students who demonstrate a strong work ethic and make meaningful strides in a company or lab, for which they are compensated.
While payment is usually a consideration for internships at the college level, many high schoolers take on unpaid internships when interning for the first time. Unpaid internships are just as valuable, and they provide students with the right skills to seek paid opportunities in the future. Unpaid internships are typically offered by non-profit organizations and small businesses, where interns work without the expectation of compensation.
Within these two broad categories, there are several types of enriching internships that are open to teenagers.
Business: Includes interning at local businesses and start-ups, working in a retail store, working as a cashier or in sales, and gaining experience in the sectors of marketing and finance.
Research: Your work may either be theoretical or hands-on. For example, you could be assigned to a research project and co-write a research paper, for which you must conduct investigations and experiments, and handle samples in a lab environment.
STEM: These internships usually involve opportunities to shadow executives and work under professionals in different fields of STEM. Research institutes and tech firms sometimes offer internships to teenagers who are interested in pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Healthcare: Depending on the area in which you live, internships in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes are often highly selective. Interns have the opportunity to shadow professionals and familiarize themselves with basic medical procedures while working jobs such as medical assistants, volunteers, and desk clerks.
Government: Some local, state, and federal governments offer teenagers opportunities to work in agencies and explore careers in the government. Interns can complete office tasks, do research, and shadow professionals.
Non-profit organizations: Many non-profits hire student volunteers to work for their organization and promote their cause. The most popular organizations that offer internships are animal shelters and food banks.
Entertainment industry: Internships at radio stations, publishing companies, local TV studios, and theatre jobs, provide interns with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the entertainment industry and nurture their creativity.
How to Select the Right Internship for You
Choosing an internship to apply to is an important decision to make as a high school student. A worthwhile internship will provide you with meaningful skills and experience to carry on to future jobs. Here are some tips on selecting the right internship:
Reflect on your passions and motivations. What kind of activities do you enjoy most? What are your biggest strengths? Consider choosing an internship that aligns with your interests.
Decide which industry you aim to explore. Search for specific opportunities within this industry. The more relevant it is, the more this experience will guide your career path.
Ensure that the internship matches your schedule and transportation capabilities. These factors will help you decide between virtual and in-person internships. Consider your level of flexibility and your own abilities.
Research various role descriptions and learn more about what your specific role as an intern would be. Consider the level of enrichment and room for initiative and skill development the opportunity provides.
Examine the work environment in your potential internship options. Small businesses tend to have a more open work atmosphere, while large corporations are likely to have busy workspaces. There are different advantages to both opportunities.
Consult a counselor, school teacher, or experienced upperclassman before making your final decision. Get their input and help with identifying which internship is the most valuable and pertinent to you.
Finally, prioritize internships in places where you are likely to interact with other interns and professionals, gain hands-on experience, and build valuable workspace skills. You have a lot to gain from an internship, but you must pick the most appropriate one first.
Searching for Internships
When searching for internships, you can utilize some of the hundreds of free internship databases available online. Further relevant online blogs and publications contain useful tips to guide you through the process of applying for and securing internships as a teenager. Here are some of the platforms and blogs you can refer to during the process:
LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. As teenagers, you can use this platform to find relevant jobs and internships, as well as reach out to professionals in the fields you are interested in. Further, it is easy to network and strengthen your relationships with Ph.D. students and other experts during your internship search.
Inspirit AI: The Inspirit AI blog contains a variety of articles centered around college and career enrichment. With topics such as “best summer programs for high schoolers” and “opportunities in CS and technology,” this blog is a valuable source of knowledge and a starting point for your application process. Further, Inspirit runs its own AI research and internship programs, wherein students complete meaningful projects under the mentorship of Stanford, Harvard, and MIT graduates.
StandOut Search: This free database consists of listings for internships, research opportunities, and summer programs for high school students. Students can enter their location, age, and work preferences, in order to receive personalized recommendations for opportunities to look out for.
Lumiere Education: Lumiere Education’s “Research Scholar Program” allows students to work with Ph.D. mentors in producing an independent research project. Further, Lumiere’s blog contains a variety of tips for applying to internships and beginning independent research projects.
Glassdoor: Glassdoor is a job recruiting platform that teenagers can use to search for available internships and work opportunities around them. Further, it features workplace ratings, company reviews, and other important considerations that will help you decide whether a work environment is truly for you.
Conclusion
Securing a meaningful internship as a teenager will help you develop essential workplace skills and set you apart in the college admission process. It is essential to choose an internship based on its level of enrichment, alignment with your interests, and relevance to your intended field of study.
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
