When I started college a few years ago, I was ignorant I and didn’t bother to build my resume. I kept applying to jobs that I that didn’t qualify for and wondered why I never received a call back or why I was rejected.

For those of you who are currently in college, graduate school, or are a recent graduate, it’s important to apply for internships. Whether they are paid or unpaid, internships are necessary and essential for your growth. They’re a great way to build experience and they will help qualify you for certain jobs.

When I was 18 years old, I didn’t care about my experience or my future. I simply took classes and did enough work to pass. I didn’t try to look for internships and I didn’t think to move out of my retail position to find a useful internship; I just took life as it came. Don’t be like me. It doesn’t matter if you just started college or if you’re graduating next semester. You need to find an internship! These internships will help you to build experience in the field that you are studying. It’ll allow you to utilize the skills that you already have and it’ll help you learn new skills that will benefit you in the future.

A lot of people don’t want to work for free, and that’s completely understandable. While a lot of internships are unpaid, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t work there. If it’s in the field that you are studying and you’ve never had a hands-on experience in that field before, then it’s a great opportunity for you. Although you’re not getting paid, you’re still getting great experience, and when you do apply for a paid job later on, you will have the experience needed to be hired. The experience you have will prove to companies that you know what you are doing and you know what you’re talking about. It’s also a great way to utilize your skills while improving the ones that aren’t your strongest.

Internships also help you figure out if a certain field is, in fact, the field you want to study. Honestly, I didn’t start building up my experience until a couple of years ago, so I was pretty late in the game. However, when I tried to look for graphic design internships, as I was researching all the requirements, I realized that I didn’t want to pursue graphic design anymore. It wasn’t because graphic design was hard, but I realized that I like designing for myself, not for other people. As a result, I stopped looking for graphic design internships and I started to look for a more broad and general one. If you’re unsure of whether or not you want to continue your program of study, try getting an internship to get a feel of what it’ll be like once it becomes your full career. This internship is for you to dip your feet in and see if this is something you can do for the rest of your life. A few people I know switched programs after their internships because they realized that it wasn’t something they wanted to do. If you’re unsure if you want to pursue a certain career, look for an internship in that field to see if it’s the right career for you.

It really doesn’t matter if they are paid or unpaid. Internships are important because they are all about building your experience. Your resume will look better with internships on it because it shows that you have experience, and it shows that you have the skills needed to pursue a career in your field. So what are you waiting for? Start looking for one now and you won’t regret it!