Internships give you valuable working knowledge, information, and work experience with the industry that makes you an asset to potential employers. For many people who want to work in the tech industry, they may come across a similar roadblock: gaining experience.
Most employers out there require some form of experience to know that you can handle the tasks they give you.
Through web design and development internships, you can gain the experience that employers need which can potentially help you save some time looking for a job. Internships have a lot of benefits and below are some of the reasons you should consider web development internships and where to find them.
What Are Web Development Internships?
Internships are a form of training on the job. By fulfilling an internship, you get firsthand experience on what your position would be like if you were hired.
You get to see the inner workings of a web development company, discover the tasks assigned to your potential coworkers and pick up on what you’d have to do regularly.
This type of training isn’t something you can get in school and being able to work in such an environment helps you stand out amongst others seeking work in similar positions. Internships are for students, certification holders, and others who want genuine experience in the industry.
Common Myths About Internships
Many people can be hesitant about working as an intern because of a few common myths they’ve heard regarding the position. For example, internships are typically unpaid, but there are scenarios where interns get paid minimum wage and possibly, even more, depending on the field they work in and their responsibilities.
Another common misconception is that interns don’t do a lot of tasks particularly related to the position they’d like to work as. While there are situations where interns are requested to get coffee or provide lunch for other employees at a company, there are also other instances where interns provide real help.
As a web development intern, you may be tasked with writing code, finding assets, making changes to websites, being a part of meetings, or any number of things that will help make you more familiar with the job.
The Benefits of Web Development Internships
Many people, especially students, can enter into the workforce with little experience. With the way in which technology is growing and the increasing demand for skilled workers, companies are looking to make sure that potential employees have the knowledge required to start working immediately and become an asset to the team.
When you sign up for an internship, you automatically get firsthand experience working in a professional environment. You can get started, know what needs to be done, and know how to do it efficiently. The onboarding process is much easier for you and that makes you stand out to employers.
Another key benefit of working as an intern is that the company you work with looks to you when they are hiring. If there is a position available that you are a good fit for, you have a much higher chance of being hired than someone who is new to the company. In fact, many industries with internships end up hiring their interns as full-time employees.
Gaining Skills
When studying in a class environment or through online web development courses, we typically learn how to do things through textbooks, coursework, and potentially professors who have worked in the industry. While this knowledge is helpful, knowing how a company works firsthand is invaluable.
Not every company works the same and having a web development internship means you get inside knowledge of how the company operates and what they do from the start of a project until it is completed. Even if you don’t work as an employee with the company you intern with, you can still take the knowledge and information you gained from your experience and put it towards future work with a similar company or even your own projects.
How to Find Web Development Internships
For students, one of the best ways of finding an internship is through your school. Multiple colleges and universities have an internship program or even a career fair for students seeking employment. As a student at these universities, you may have a higher chance of being chosen for these internships as opposed to finding one unrelated to the school.
However, there are other methods of finding internships that don’t involve going through your school. Multiple websites have internship programs available or list them where you can search for them around your area. Some of the most popular websites for finding an internship include the following:
- YouTern
- Idealist
- Internships.com
- Glassdoor
Google searches also list various internships in your area. Google apprenticeships and internships are also listed on their website. The key to finding an internship that works for you is searching, making sure you have a great resume, and making sure that you tell the company you’d wish to work for how you can be a valuable asset to the team.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
