For most people working in a professional field and for colleges, it’s become clear how valuable internships are. You may have perhaps landed where you are now as a worker because of your internship experience. With many universities and campuses making internships a prerequisite for graduation, one can see a trend in higher education to arduously prepare students for graduating into a chaotic job market. But where did internships come from? What do they mean to students? Is the work of completing internships all that important, or does it make all the difference? Keep on reading to explore the answers to these questions. 

Why are Internships Important?

For students, educators, and employers alike, internships are seen as a rite of passage in the contemporary college experience. It matters not whether you’re assembling robotic wiring or creating worlds through words in your collegiate studies: you will have no doubt been impressed upon the importance of internships as a student and as a worker. And you will look for opportunities for internships, and you will be accepted for some and turned down by others, and you will eventually land one, and you will stick it somewhere near your educational experience on your professional résumé. But why?

Internships today are a descendant of the 11th-century socioeconomic guild system. As agricultural technology advanced and laborers had more free time, they would take up learning trades in their mid to late teens, paying a guild master for their time teaching them. Then they would become apprentices of said guild master, and after a decade, become guild members among that trade themselves.[1] Internships as we now know them evolved over the course of the 20th century, as more fields of work incorporated a system of supervised, practical experience into educational curricula. 

Besides résumé-building, internships do provide various benefits for students going into the professional world. Firstly, they provide exposure to the actual business one is studying. By doing hands-on labor and getting a lay of the land in an internship, you’ll gain experience, something that can’t be taught in a classroom.[2] With a good internship leader, you will also develop the skills needed in your industry through achieving practical experience. In a report conducted by Handshake and released in 2025 about internships, students said they pursued internships to build valuable skills, to identify possible career opportunities, to make professional connections, and to get a leg up in their future job hunt. All of these are true opportunities provided by internships. A 2022 student survey by the National Association of Colleges states that graduates who participated in paid internships received an average of 1.6 job offers, while unpaid interns were offered .95 jobs, and those who never had an internship report at .77.[3] But one third of students in the Handshake survey reported doing internships just to complete their degree requirements.[4]

Drawbacks of Internships

In the same Handshake Intern Index report cited above, it mentions that around 12% of the students in the study did not participate in an internship and don’t expect to by the time they finish their degree. There are reasons for this hindrance in completing internships. Half of these students report that there is not enough time between academic studies, jobs, and other commitments to complete an internship. The other half said they had applied for an internship but were rejected. With work burnout a real and widespread phenomena in both academic and professional settings, it’s not surprising that students report it to be overwhelming juggling internships along with all their other responsibilities.[5] 56% of interns surveyed were also taking classes, and 36% were also working a part-time job. Add to that the competitive nature of securing a job or internship in today’s market, along with the geographical and financial restraints some students face, and it makes perfect sense why a certain percentage of students find it difficult to access internships. The application process may also seem overwhelming, given the variation in hiring timelines across employers and companies. Internal data from Handshake also shows that the demand for internships is outpacing the supply: the number of internship postings on the platform declined but then rose from 2023-2025.[6]

Universities and colleges around the nation are well-aware of the financial restraints that unpaid internships may bring for at-risk students. More attention has been placed on fair compensation in reducing equity gaps for who can participate in internships and who is not. At Binghamton University, a part of SUNY, and at other colleges, administration is providing stipends or scholarships for students that take on unpaid or underpaid internships.[7]

Though there are barriers to access for students looking for internships, the opportunities are still there and available. There might be more opportunities than students, but that just means one has to work harder to make themselves stand out as a professional. Whether that’s through a polished résumé or the experience that internships provide, students will find a way to secure professional positions one way or another. But the value of internships in accomplishing not only this but in broadening one’s horizons is invaluable and should not be forgotten. 

Publishing Solutions Group

As a company dedicated to fostering a more inclusive industry and to promoting educational content at all levels, we recognize the value interns bring to the success of our brand. That is why we not only support interns but advocate that other companies should do the work of offering training through offering internships in their respective industries, as the rewards are plentiful.

[1] https://taylorresearchgroup.com/news/a-brief-history-of-the-internship/

[2] https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2022/08/12/the-importance-of-internships-and-the-invaluable-relationships-they-bring/

[3] https://www.naceweb.org/uploadedfiles/files/2022/publication/executive-summary/2022-nace-student-survey-executive-summary-four-year.pdf

[4] https://joinhandshake.com/network-trends/handshake-internships-index-2025/

[5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2025/02/08/job-burnout-at-66-in-2025-new-study-shows/

[6] https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/life-after-college/2025/02/21/12-college-students-wont-participate-internship

[7] https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/careers/2023/05/16/universities-foot-bill-paid-internships

Photo by Brooke Cagle free to use under the Unsplash License