“But college doesn’t teach you how to be a PR practioner, a marketing pro, a political scientist. It teaches you how to manage your time, how to work with people, how to meet deadlines.”

I like this quote from Cheryl Harrison’s blog, because it is very true. Yes, you do learn lots of specific things in college about the career field you want to enter, but how many of those things do you actually remember several years down the road? And what if you change career paths? A lot of what you actually take away from college is learning how to manage your time, how to work under pressure, and how to work cooperatively with other people. You don’t actually forget how to do these things. They will serve you well in whatever career you enter.

I have also discovered, through internships, that much more hands-on learning happens on the job than in the classroom. Learning about theories from textbooks will give you a good base, but only some of these will be applied in each job you hold. I have held two internships, and with both of them I have learned that actually being in a workplace is very different from learning about a job in the classroom. Internships are also probably the best way to network. My boss last summer offered me a job with them when I graduate, and has helped previous interns get jobs at other places. It just goes to show that getting a little experience helps you get your foot in the door in a lot of other places.