Why are Internships Essential for Engineering Students?

By Kirti Yadav
29 September 2022

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Work experience is one of the most common challenges that a student faces when applying for jobs. Every business wants to hire the best candidates with sufficient experience in certain job roles in today's world. To land a successful career, a student needs more than just a degree; they need work experience, and internships are important in this regard.

An internship is a period when students are trained in the skill they are good at and have the opportunity to apply their knowledge practically in industries. An internship broadens a student's knowledge base and horizon. And this might be the reason why AICTE has made internships mandatory for all B.Tech engineering students.

Engineering internships assist students in developing, enhancing, and applying their communication, leadership, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills. It allows students to reflect on their professional experiences and demonstrate their potential, proficiency, and talents.

Why are Internships Important for Engineering Students or Freshers?

Let's view the importance of internships for engineering students or freshers and how they can significantly impact a student's overall career.

Gives Much Needed Exposure and Experience

We are all aware that having a degree alone does not guarantee employment. To gain enough confidence, it is crucial to have experience in that certain profession. Internships help students to bridge the gap between skills and experience. They get the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge to real-time projects and gain experience.

Helps To Learn From Mistakes

As an intern, students can learn from their mistakes and seek advice from their mentors on fixing such problems. Learning from mistakes helps people improve their skills, which may be very beneficial for them as they go into full-time employment. It allows individuals to be aware of their strengths, weaknesses, and knowledge or skills they need to acquire to successfully carry out their roles.

Presents The Opportunity To Explore The Chosen Career Role

Internships allow engineering students and freshers to learn more about the career path they have selected for themselves. Students can realise that while a particular field initially excites them, it is not a great fit for them, and they can alter their minds and search for a different domain.

Internships serve as a trial period for students, allowing them to select their preferred field from among the many alternatives available to them. Additionally, it aids students in choosing their goals, their areas of passion, and the organisation with whom they would like to work in the future.

Apart from internships, some companies also offer jobs to part-time engineers. It helps the students to pursue their education alongside careers. Click to learn more about full-time vs part-time engineering.

Helps In Developing Professional Relationships

Internships provide a huge opportunity for students to network with professionals and build new relationships, which is beneficial for their future careers as well as for knowledge and learning. By networking, students and recent graduates can build stronger relationships with professionals and get references, testimonials, or recommendations for certain job roles.

When Is The Right Time To Apply For An Internship?

The most perplexing question among students is when they should apply for internships during their four years of engineering course. It all depends on the type of internship they are interested in, as well as their current level of knowledge and skills. Their academic progress, as well as any self-taught skills, also influence the decision a lot.

To be precise, the earlier students start, the better it is. Companies usually start their recruitment drive in engineering companies by the end of the 6th, 7th or 8th semester. Thus, it is best to take up an internship in the interested field and complete it before the drive starts. Students can utilise the summer break or winter break time for internships since they provide sufficient free hours that can be used up for a great beginning.

If in-office internships seem to be tough, several companies provide the option of an online internship for engineering students, which helps in gain experience. Because of the in-depth expertise in a particular field, internships assist students in earning higher grades in academic subjects.

Pro Tip: Improve your Coding Skills with Practice

If someone’s stream is not IT or CSE, the person might wonder why he/she practises coding. We have mentioned below some of the primary reasons why learning to code is a must, irrespective of the college major, career interest and current stage.

It helps to improve logical thinking.
Problem-solving skills will get strengthened.
It will foster creativity in developing solutions.
It will boost analytical skills and confidence.
It will help to develop a technologically advanced front.

If someone plans to take up a career in core engineering like civil engineering, find out the scope of civil engineering here and learn more about civil engineering internships.

To Wrap It Up

Internships are therefore essential for engineering students and freshers to gain industrial experience and a practical approach, and Sunstone constantly encourages students to take advantage of such golden opportunities while always reminding them of the enriching experience they will earn through these internships.

About Sunstone

Sunstone is a higher education service provider that works with different academic institutions and ensures to boost the skills and knowledge of students. Through a holistic academic experience, we aim to train students for jobs and make them industry-ready. At present, we offer career-oriented programs for UG and PG students in over 40+ institutions and 30+ cities.

FAQ - Internship for Engineering Students

Is an internship necessary for engineering?

Yes, as per the latest guidelines of AICTE, all engineering students must engage in at least one internship program irrespective of their B.Tech courses.

What is an internship for engineering students?

An internship can be explained as a temporary office job where you get to experience the industrial world first-hand and contribute to developing software and products. Its tenure can be 3 months, 6 months or longer. And it can be paid or unpaid, depending on the work level and other conditions.

What are the benefits of internships for engineers?

Internships help engineers to experience the corporate world temporarily before getting hired by any company. They can learn the work, office culture, united working spirit and a lot more while doing an internship which will help them during their employment.