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Travelling vs. Interning: What should you do this summer?

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Does the concept of summer “vacation” really exist in college? There are usually two ways people spend their summer – interning or feeling guilty about not interning. For those of us who break our back making it to college twice a week, a 9-5 job in a cubicle is hardly our idea of a vacation.

Although I’m not discrediting the value of an internship, those who’ve already done one internship at some stage should consider taking a trip instead this summer because whereas travelling isn’t really something that you can put in your resume (in most cases), you’d be surprised how much it can help you in the long run. Here are a few ways how:

1. Travelling helps you learn a lot of new things about yourself:

Know yourself. Image credits: blog.trip4real.com
Know yourself. Image credits: blog.trip4real.com

Whenever you visit a new place, there’s a certain level of adaptation that’s required even if it’s for a short period of time. If you’re travelling alone you’d be surprised as to how many realisations you can have about yourself, which is always a good thing in college considering most of us spend the majority of our college lives roaming around as headless chickens who look the other way whenever anyone asks us “beta, what plans?

2. You learn a lot about a place:

Explore new places. Image credits: blog.touristly.com
Explore new places. Image credits: blog.touristly.com

Even if you revisit a place you’ve gone a dozen times with your parents in the past, being in college gives you a certain degree of independence. Use it to explore the city more. There’s definitely more to a city than the mainstream tourist locations, the knowledge of which truly makes you a “well-travelled” person.

3. Gives you the mental peace required for the upcoming semester:

Find your peace. Image credits: plaidzebra.com
Find your peace. Image credits: plaidzebra.com

Despite how much you study (or don’t), the summer semester in particular has a tendency to be extensively soporific. A nice holiday in the weeks leading up to it can put you in the right frame of mind to tackle it head on.

4. You get to meet new people:

Meet new people. Image credits: funjet.com
Meet new people. Image credits: funjet.com

Internships may  be a great forum for networking but travelling helps you meet a lot of people who may be like-minded or have a completely different outlook on life, both of which help shape your thought process.

5. You have fun:

Have fun. Image credits: colosoul.com.au
Have fun. Image credits: colosoul.com.au

Whereas following a “YOLO” strategy indefinitely may not be a wise decision, college life is all about experiences (not just the “work” kind), and traveling definitely accounts for that.

So if you’re still confused about whether or not to intern, don’t worry too much about it. Maybe this summer you can try something different!

Feature Image: knowrisk.com.au

Shraman Ghosh

[email protected]

 

[email protected] ; Shraman graduated from Modern School Barakhamba Road and is currently pursuing Economics Honours at Hindu College. In addition to writing, Shraman loves reading books and constantly tries to make himself better aware of the world around him. His pastimes include community service and theatre which he actively pursues in college. He hopes to complete his undergrad and do masters in Economics or Finance so that he can try and contribute to our country's economic development and growth. He loves travelling and is a massive foodie as well.

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