It incentivises students to frame up as many badges of professionalism as possible – anything from their internship experiences, recommendations from supervisors, or even the aforementioned humble-bragging post-internship posts – all to be recognised as a cut above the rest. As narcissistic as it sounds, it does feel good to be the subject of envy.
Conversely, when we see others doing far more with their professional lives, our good-ol Singaporean kiasu syndrome kicks into high gear, as we fear that we might be left behind. In turn, this pushes us to hop on the internship arms race bandwagon, perpetuating the social pressure to take on as many work attachments as possible.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Undoubtedly, internships are important: They bridge the gap between the classroom and the working world.
They also offer students a place to work on their hard and soft skills, explore various roles to better map their future career options, network with like-minded individuals and find career mentors.
A student who excels in their internship may even be offered a full-time position, securing a head start in their career in an uncertain global economic environment.
But at its core, I believe an internship should be treated as an opportunity to learn. To do so, an internship should challenge students with “real work”, and yet also allow them a space to experiment and make mistakes.
However, not all companies can afford to spend the whole work day guiding students. From time to time, students may be required to take on menial tasks and “coffee runs” during their internships. Even so, students should aim to walk away with some meaningful experience that they can apply when they enter the working world. An internship without real responsibilities defeats the purpose of the learning experience.