After a two month internship for a content writing firm I had to ask myself how I could utilize the rest of my summer vacations. So I browsed through internship listings at Internshala. I stumbled upon another content writing internship; I was interested in it because it focused on social media marketing. I immediately sent them my CV and two days later I was called for an interview. After cracking the interview I ended up interning in this small Noida based social media marketing firm for 3 months.

Here are 5 reasons why I feel that internships in start -ups and smaller firms are as important as internships in big companies.

A new cup of tea: A first year student or a sophomore aiming to open his books should start as an intern in a start-up. This fresh cup of tea will be a piping hot experience as you will be a part of a new organisation. A new organisation is not only set to provide you with new opportunities but is sure to lay a patient ear to your ideas. If you are fairly dedicated you might end up being a permanent employee there.

A phenomenon called ‘Practical experience’ – The first thing an interviewer asks you after your ‘introduction’ is about the kind of experience you have in this field. Well it’s more than necessary and apt that you join a smaller firm to contribute to its daily proceedings. Why so? Well, at the end of the day this ‘practical experience’ makes you a better, more open and a mature human being who has the capability to adapt to situations in the most complex of situations.

Exploring new avenues when you are confused – After entering the social media/blogging market as an intern, I feel immense joy in the pleasure of writing and expressing myself in personal and commercial blogs. In a similar way you should explore different avenues and decide what you want to do in your future. Joining as an intern for various firms in various fields can bring the best out of you and make you aware of the possibilities in the line you are most interested working in.

Relaxed work culture– I remember the first internship I did, way back when I was in first year. I was being heckled and bombarded by peers who explained to me the importance of internships. However, I was more skeptic about the interviews. I was skeptic of how the internship would be and the nature of it. I sent a mail to an NGO offering research analyst internships. I was happy to see that it was a start-up NGO. It would not be wrong to say that the amount I have learnt from that NGO is incomparable owing to their capability of providing me with personal assistance and help whenever I needed it. There was more flexibility and the environment in general was relaxed. Plus you get to learn directly from founders and the main people running the organisation!

To ‘learn and earn’ simultaneously–While many think that start ups, due to lack of funds only provide unpaid internships, this is largely untrue. What is better than being able to learn new skill sets and earn at the same time? Rs. 5000– 10ooo stipend surely gets you a habit of earning. With this ‘money motivates me’ attitude you end up increasing the specifications in your internship. The more you earn the more established firm you end up joining. What is the most important part is that you learn along with such high monetary gain.

Joining an internship at a smaller business not only motivates you mentally but monetarily as well. It increases your capability and adaptability and as a result makes you a more open human being. Therefore interning for small scale firms, are as important and credible as tech giants and businesses.

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Feature Image Credits: LinkedIn

Ishaan Sengupta
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