Importance of Internships for PGDM students

For most of us, applying for a Post Graduate Diploma in Management program may be a career changing decision. One of the vital components of the program being Summer Internships, that is certainly a key aspect for the future managers. Internships help the students improve upon the skills set that acts as a step towards improving chances of success in career.

However, for the students who graduated by going through more or less the old school of teaching methodology that was very much class room centered, it is important to realize that any post graduation program in management studies would not be a success in case the isolated classroom style of study is being continued. This article is an attempt at making the aspirants of PGDM program or for that matter the current PGDM students who may have joined the program recently realize the importance of internships.

• Industry-Exposure: You shall not reap the benefits just by learning the theories in classrooms unless and until you learn the practical part of it, in other words how to use them in real life situations. Internships help by providing a hands-on experience of how organizations function in real life. During internships, students learn by doing that enables them to understand and apply different business concepts in real life scenarios.
• Networking: Though not the primary benefit part of it, however internships provide you a good opportunity to develop a good network within and outside the organization. One may be benefited as he can get in touch with people who may help him for securing a good job or even can act as his mentor.
• Work experience matters: Quite a few surveys do indicate that about half of the employers do value relevant work experience more than the qualifications in the complete recruitment process. At the same time, getting relevant work experience adds to your confidence levels that in turn shall probably help you in securing a good job on a full time basis at the time of final placements.
• Preview of Role & Responsibilities: Internships provide you an excellent opportunity to gain the relevant skills, experience and knowledge about a particular industry. It also provides you an idea about the roles and responsibilities that one is expecting to be dealing with in due course of time after final placements.
• Pre Placement Offers: If you do well during your internships, you may be offered a Pre-Placement Offer by the organization. This in turn shall act like a recommendation letter for you to secure a better job at the time of final placements; otherwise you anyways have a job at hand. In other words, we may say that internships and placements do have a good co-relation. A high proportion of students from any good PGDM institute like Asian Business School, Noida are able to convert their internships into pre placement offers.
• Earn Stipend: Though not the primary factor, however provided a choice for working in an office instead of studying for your exams, it may be good to be at office instead and simultaneously, you probably would be paid for the same as well. Money involved may not be a huge sum, but certainly good enough to maybe act as a motivating factor.

In a nut shell, Internships provide a great opportunity to work with seasoned professionals, thereby developing your competency, knowledge and experience that are critical for the growth of your career. If you are able to manage internships well, you shall be benefited by developing new contacts and mentors.