The Endless Advantages of a Professional Internship
By: Brooke Valenti–Jouett

MLMs, sugar–free peanut butter, Instagram “hacks”: some things just aren’t as advertised. Luckily,
internships are all they seem and more. Internships can jump start your career, helping you gain
valuable experience and create important connections! Representatives from KEB will be visiting
campus career events in the fall to meet you and explore opportunities for your future. Read on to learn
about just a few of the great benefits you can get out of a professional internship.

Benefits of an Internship

• Internships are your best learning opportunity– You may have heard that “experience is the
greatest teacher,” and you will get lots of it as an intern! An internship offers real–world
exposure that cannot be found in a classroom. You will perform hands–on work with real
projects and get to learn directly from mentors. An internship also provides the opportunity to
test out different specialties and environments. For example, you may find you enjoy working in
public accounting much more than in the private field. Insights like this give you a great
foundation for planning the start of your career. And if lessons learned aren’t enough of a
benefit, most internships will also provide you with financial compensation and college credits.

• Internships are a great chance to network– As an intern, you will have the opportunity to work
directly with professionals in your future industry. You will have the chance to create
connections by tackling projects with people who may be your future colleagues. At many firms,
such as KEB, interns get to work directly with clients, developing a network that will serve you
well in the future. Even if you ultimately pursue a different path, the relationships you form will
be an important part of your career journey.

• Internships can lead to permanent positions– Internships can be a direct pipeline to a full–time
position. Firms are eager to see bright team members stay and flourish, so they often begin
investing in and recruiting full–time staff members from the internship stage, creating a path for
advancement all the way up to Partner. With some focus and hard work, you may leave an
internship with a job offer in hand, setting your career on a great start!

Get Started!
As you can see, we can’t say enough great things about internships. No matter where your career
ultimately goes, you will gain valuable insights and advantages from the hands–on experience they offer.

To learn more about internships, please visit your school’s job board or Handshake. You can also view
internships at KEB by visiting our opportunities page or emailing your resume directly to Brooke Valenti–Jouett, Human Resources Manager. KEB offers fall, spring, or summer internship opportunities and has flexible schedule options to work with your courseload, including positions under 40 hours a week.