You see, an intern position is designed as a low or no pay position that allows you to get the practical everyday knowledge that you are going to need to know to be successful in a position. It will give you a feeling for the job and let you see what it is like. It will teach you things in a way that no classroom situation, no books and no simulation can do. As low as internships pay, the things you learn during that time are often more than what you have studied in your classes. The real experience always teaches you more and makes you better at your job.
An internship teaches you how to handle things as they come up because you are actually living the job and as a result you get to learn how to solve the real world problem as it arises rather than trying to simulate it. There is nothing like having a living, breathing and complaining person in front of you to change the textbook response to a situation. After all, the person there having the issue most likely did not read the textbook and thus he has no clue as to how he is expected to react.
The things that you will need to know when you accept a position as an intern is that you will be working hard and that you will be getting the kind of knowledge that you can't get anywhere else. If your mentor is good then you will be called upon to make actual decisions just as you would in a real situation if you were in charge. The difference here is that your mentor will ask you what you would do, then he or she will do the right thing and then you will be able to see what went wrong.
You will have the opportunity to learn from mistakes before they become critical or costly. Your mentor who is in charge of your internship will give you the guidance and then after he sees what you would have done, he will show you why that was or was not the correct choice. He or she will explain to you the reason it was a good choice and congratulate you or he or she will tell you why it was not a good choice and help you understand the reasoning so that you firmly grasp it.
Being in an intern program is like no other type of training you can get. It is real world and hands on and you can expect to make a lot of mistakes. The thing is that if you are smart and learn from the mistakes then you will come out of the program a wiser and better person and more able to handle the job when it comes time to fly solo. So best of luck in finding a good intern program.
