Internships are heavily encouraged because of the experience they offer to students and the hands-on training provided during the internship for students still pursuing their degree. However, I often feel that internships are given much more importance than they deserve, leading to unnecessary pressure, frustration and competition among students.

Every development can be utilized as an opportunity for self-improvement, even if it appears to be a set-back initially. Not having an internship can have its advantages, despite appearing to be a failure in the short run.

The most important advantage is that it provides students at least 90 days over the summer to figure out what exactly they wish to do. For example, I am debating whether I should convert my master’s degree to a Ph.D., or gain some industry experience and then try to go for a Ph.D. I will work with my professor over the summer and based on the state of my research project, I will make a well-informed decision. This approach would not have been possible with an internship.

I have seen many students accept an internship offer which did not align to their choice of career, simply because they wanted an internship, or because the pay was good. While tempting, I don’t find this approach to be very logical, as the skill set that students develop during the internship might not be of much use in the long run. These resume boosters populate the resume, but they do not allow a person to develop skills specific to their choice of job, hence such an endeavor is wasteful in the long run. It may also show a lack of focus on the part of the individual, which is not a good sign for a budding professional.

The break gives students opportunities to develop their skills in the field of their choice and explore the field in depth, which might help them make different choices than they would have otherwise made. For example, I know some of my seniors who, after not getting an internship and instead working on their profile during the summer, chose an entirely different career path.

One of the most important opportunities that not having an internship offers is the chance to reconnect with one’s creative self. Creative pursuits are extremely important for personal satisfaction. They are a vent for one’s creativity. For example, someone might like experimenting with cooking, while someone else may find such satisfaction by working on music.

Irrespective of the nature of a pursuit, the sheer joy of creating something new is what makes creative pursuits so special. Unfortunately, one often cannot afford such liberty during the semester, when the academic pressure is at its peak. Pursuing one’s creative streak also helps them get ready for the next semester.

International students can also use this opportunity to visit their home country, especially the master’s students, who only have this time to visit their country for more than a month. This assumes even greater importance in the light of the fact that most of the students who will land industry jobs will have to join the companies shortly after they complete their degrees.

Overall, not having an internship opens a lot of avenues, just like having one does. It has distinct advantages and provides an individual to grow in all the dimensions of their personality by following their creative pursuits and providing a much-needed respite from the strenuous schedule one has to stick to during the course of the semester.