Viewpoint: Semester internships are rewarding, worthwhile

Yes, juggling an internship along with a full class load can be stressful, but who ever said success was easy?

During the school year, college students stress over projects, papers, midterms and finals, hoping they can throw a few extracurricular activities into the mix and still have time to spend with friends.

Over school breaks, they work at part-time jobs to make some extra cash and catch up with family and hometown friends.

And everyone knows summers are reserved for internships that can give you a taste of the industry you’ve chosen and build your resume with relevant experience.

But that doesn’t have to be the sequence of events for everyone. For some, a semester internship can be a part of the equation, and there are many benefits to choosing this path.

Yes, juggling an internship along with a full class load can be stressful, but who ever said success was easy?

Employers take notice.

The fact that you are a full-time college student who maintains a high GPA while working a semester internship is not lost on employers. Balancing both commitments shows future employers that you are reliable, hard-working, organized and are unafraid to take on new challenges -- all character traits that make potential candidates more attractive to employers.

I obtained my upcoming spring internship partly because my employers expressed appreciation for the fact that I had proven I was already capable of handling multiple commitments at once.

With the current economy, you can’t afford to move slowly from one task to the next -- employees are being asked to take on more and more responsibility. Going a step above your peers and taking on a semester internship proves to employers that you not only have a passion for your career, but that you are a committed and valuable candidate.

Schedules are flexible.

My semester internship supervisors have always made sure I knew that school came first and that they would be understanding of busy periods such as the weeks of midterms and finals.

I never hesitated to tell my supervisor when I was a little over my head and needed to focus on other tasks, and I was never met with reproach. During semester internships, your work schedule will be made around your classes and any other commitments you might have, and employers will often be accommodating to any problems that may arise with your schedule.

You can get credit.

Many universities will offer course credit to students with semester internships.

The amount of credit varies, but it can be a bonus to students who might have pursued the position either way. The option of receiving credit from a semester internship might also mean you can take fewer classes and still meet your credit requirements, while at the same time adding valuable experience to your resume.

It’s a chance to apply what you’re learning.

Taking on an internship while simultaneously completing classes can give you a unique opportunity to apply what you’re learning in the classroom to your work and to bring the hands-on lessons of your internship to your schoolwork.

The most valuable skills are often better learned when you are immersed in a task, not when you’re sitting in a desk taking notes.

A semester internship can be the place where you apply the theoretical teachings of your professors and where you gain a skill set that will help you succeed in future skills-based courses and in understanding how the theories can be applied to the real world.

Annalisa Rodriguez is a Fall 2012 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about her here.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.