Should I do an internship if I already have work experience?

January 6, 2018 12:24 PM

Should I do an internship if I already have work experience?

I have 4 years of work experience. Recently, I decided to further my education which gives me the option to do an internship. Some people told me that I already have related-experience and internship isn't necessary. I have the same feeling. But my feeling would be different if I was unemployed and it would be great to have an additional portion on my resume if I do complete this experience.

Thoughts?

posted by Mountain28 to Work & Money (10 answers total)

Is the internship in a field that you don't have experience in, or at a company where you'd potentially like to be hired? Then it certainly couldn't hurt.

The company I work for (Fortune 500) regularly hires collegiate interns, post-internship and after they graduate. A good intern who had additional work experience would be almost a sure hire.
posted by erst at 12:40 PM on January 6, 2018 [3 favorites]

It totally depends on the field. At my work, internships are the main way to get your foot in the door as a low/mid-level employee; it is very hard to get an interview if you haven't been an intern. There are enough past-interns that they have no trouble filling all the positions with them. But our interns are paid market rates, so it's not a bad deal. An unpaid or low-paid internship is a pretty big risk and I'd think a lot harder before taking it.
posted by miyabo at 12:42 PM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

(Oh, and many of our interns are grad students who often have 2-5 years past work experience at smaller companies.)
posted by miyabo at 12:44 PM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

I did an internship while I was doing a professional masters program and I think it was helpful for a few reasons: 1. it was in the same general field as my pre-grad-school experience but a different area, and one that is hard to break into if you don't already have experience in it. 2. I actually wound up getting a job with the same employer after grad school, partially based on my internship experience and relationships.

So no, I would not do the same kind of work you've been doing as an intern, but one of the great things about being in school is that it gives you license and opportunities to try different things that are harder to access when you are in the regular workforce.
posted by lunasol at 2:50 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Internship is in a field that I have experience in. However, it's a weekend internship opportunity over the internet (most likely unpaid). Commitment of 3-4 months and work 10 hrs a week. I am already working full time for 4 years though.


Thanks for your feedback.
posted by Mountain28 at 3:07 PM on January 6, 2018

... field that I have experience in ... weekend ... over the internet ... unpaid ... 3-4 months ... 10 hrs a week ... working full time for 4 years ...

Yeah, I wouldn't do that in your situation. For one thing, an unpaid, 10hr/wk remote internship sounds hella sketchy and is probably exploitative. Since you have 4 years of work experience already, I don't see what an internship would add unless it's with a prestigious company or would give you a specific sought-after skill.
posted by smammy at 5:10 PM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

Yeah, don't do that internship. Find an internship that will give you experience or connections you wouldn't otherwise get at this point in your career in a paid gig.
posted by lunasol at 5:20 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

weekend internship opportunity over the internet

The value of an internship as far as getting your foot in the door is very much linked to being able to show you fit into the company culture and making contacts. It's not clear this internship would provide that, unless you are going into a field where everyone works remotely and never meets each other in person.
posted by yohko at 7:22 PM on January 6, 2018

Since you already have work experience in the field I would only do an unpaid internship if it offered you a chance to develop particular skills you don't already have, work with someone who's an important figure in the field, or had a clear path to employment afterwards. This doesn't really sound like that gig.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 8:58 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Would you be interested in this opportunity if it was labeled as “a temporary volunteer position”? Because unless you’re getting college credit for it, that’s what it is. (If you are getting credit for it, then you need to compare it to the value of the three classes you could take instead).
posted by the agents of KAOS at 11:43 PM on January 6, 2018