When searching for jobs, most people seem to encounter the same common problem: “applicant must have experience.” However, just how does one gain experience if you’re having a hard time getting hired in the first place?

If you’re worried about finding yourself in a similar situation after graduation, or even getting your foot into the door of your dream job now, it’s time to start looking into the most obvious solution for this problem–an internship.

I know the last thing that we want to do is give up the very little down time we have as students to toil away at a (generally) unpaid job that lacks any sort of glory or recognition. Or does it?

Often internships give you hands-on experience that being in a classroom simply cannot provide. How do you handle an angry client?  How do you resolve issues with that annoying guy in the cubicle beside you that likes to laugh loudly at YouTube videos rather than actually work? How do you respectfully provide input on a project to a higher-up?  College teaches us so much, but to actually have an idea of how your future field operates on a daily basis extends students past the notes and tests that are part of our repertoire.

There isn’t a guarantee that having completed an internship will land you a job. However, it does give you leverage against others who haven’t had any experience in the field at all.  It also gives you connections.

All too often, it’s easy to forget the power of connections. The best opportunities that have come to me in life were, well, through someone else! By holding down an internship, you will meet people in your line of work that might one day be responsible for hiring you, or that could steer you in the direction of someone that will.

I know summers are always best spent relaxing, but it wouldn’t hurt to consider looking for an opportunity to market yourself and to better your future instead.  You never know what it could lead to.