Should I relocate for an internship? Yes, but only if it’s a paid internship. There’s no point in moving across cities for an unpaid internship. It’s not worth your time or money. Paid internships give you invaluable experience and connections that opens more doors.
I did a total of 3 internships in my college years. And they were some of the best decisions I ever made. Not only did it allow me to earn more money, it gave me valuable skills that made me more attractive to my future employers.
I had a much easier time getting a job. In fact, the last company I interned for gave me a full time job offer at the end of the internship. No interviewing or any of that, it was a simple process. I eventually turned it down but that kind of opportunity was only possible because I relocated for an internship.
I was in college so there wasn’t anything of value that I needed to move. All I packed was a suitcase full of clothes and a laptop. Everything else, I kept at home. Relocating for an internship was completely worth it for me.
I would also advise any college student asking themselves should I relocate for an internship? The answer is an overwhelming yes. If the internship is all the way across the country, companies usually foot the moving bill most of the time, anyway.
Big companies even pay for housing. Then there is no excuse not to move for the internship.
Should I Relocate for an Internship? Yes. 9 Reasons Why
Below are 9 reasons why the answer to should I relocate for an internship is an overwhelming yes. If I could do my internships all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat. Even though I got fired from internship before.
1) Paid Interns Find Full Time Jobs Easily
Paid interns are more likely to get hired than unpaid interns. Even if the companies don’t know that you were unpaid, companies know the quality of the work that you’ve done for prior companies you interned at. Big companies do not have unpaid internship programs.
One of my college friends scored an internship at Apple. They rescinded the offer. He even offered to work for them for free. Apple declined because they have to “pay their interns”. Big companies do not skimp out on a couple extra thousand dollars.
They do the right thing and pay for their interns. Therefore, paid interns have a much easier time finding another job because companies understand they worked for a quality company. I didn’t even have to interview at other companies to get a job offer during college.
It was handed to me on a silver platter at the end of my internship with a $65k salary offer. Should I relocate for an internship? Absolutely. It’s a great stepping stone.
2) Should I Relocate for an Internship? Yes, You Can Earn Money
Whether we like it or not, money is an integral part of our lives. Even in our poor college years, money is so important. There are bad people who tried to shame college students that “you shouldn’t take a job because of the money, it’s for the experience and the long term opportunities down the road”.
The experience and long term opportunities down the road doesn’t pay the rent. The money matters more so in our younger years just because of how much it compounds into down the road. Should I relocate for an internship?
That’s an absolute yes. Even though my internships were all low pay compared to my peers, it was worth it to me. Companies paid me $18/hr, $15/hr, and $16/hr. I was a chump to actually took pay cuts in my subsequent internships but I digress.
Internships pay better than the usual retail-minimum wage jobs. I used to get paid $8.25/hr working for my University’s gym. And my internships all paid above that.
3) A New Adventure
We grow the most when we put ourselves in uncomfortable situations. Internships are a brand new adventure. It’s the first foray that can grow into bigger things down the road. Should I relocate for an internship? Yes, it’s when you grow the most.
You grow even more than if you interned in the same city. It’s a great reason to explore a new city to see if you even want to live in the new city in the first place upon graduation. In the new cities I worked at, I got to experience the city that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
It was well worth it. I liked the city so much that I ended up working in the city after graduation after a year. There wasn’t even a hesitation because I was already used to the city so much. There’s less opportunities to take on risk after graduation when there’s kids and a significant other at play.
When you’re a college student, taking a risk to go to a brand new city is well worth it.
4) Dip Your Toe in the Corporate World
I always support any college student getting an internship. I support it even more when they are relocating for a paid internship and the company is a great brand. The corporate world is not as easy as do good work, get promoted, and get paid.
The corporate world involves politics. Although I do not like playing office politics, it’s a necessity. Should I relocate for an internship? Yes, especially because it gives you a taste of what it’s like to work in a professional setting. It’s different than working a job as a cashier, for example.
The corporate world is a jungle of complications and some actually need a little bit of luck to shine and stand out. The ones who are at the top today got there by impressing the right people and saying the right things to them.
Internships are a low risk way to dip your toe in the corporate world because companies don’t expect a lot from interns.
5) It Fills Your Time with Productivity
Looking back in college, I wish I took a summer off to focus on my own projects. It would’ve given me the opportunity to start a business and differentiate myself from others who were just interested in getting a job. However, working in the summer through an internship is not a bad way to be productive.
Should I relocate for an internship? Yes because it fills your time with productivity in the summers that otherwise might just be spent doing nothing. It’s difficult to be a self starter, especially in college because college students generally don’t understand what they’re doing.
They need someone else to motivate and force them to be productive. My internships kept my time productive and on top of which, I was getting paid for my time. My time was actually worth something to someone else!
Internships are a way to get ahead from your peers and differentiate yourself. Productivity is not a bad thing.
6) An Internship Applies Your Learnings from School
It’s one thing to read about knowledge. It’s another to apply that knowledge that is actually used in the real world. One of the biggest complaints I had about college was that it was theoretical. Everything was just about reading a textbook and I absolutely disliked that I couldn’t apply it in real life.
Should I relocate for an internship? Yes, because it’s an opportunity to actually use the information you learned. Knowledge is meaningless without execution. Execution is everything. Especially when you can sell that knowledge is when the fun happens.
One of my internships was a valuation internship and I learned how to value companies. One of my college classes was a business valuation class and it was fascinating to see how everything connected from textbook to real life.
School is a great way to learn but an even better way to learn is through experience.
7) It’s a Stepping Stone
Internships are a great stepping stone to bigger and better things. Yes, internships do not pay as well as full time positions. However, internships are the next best thing to full time jobs. I work in finance because I got so many finance internships throughout my college days.
Should I relocate for an internship? Absolutely because it supports your future prospects. My future was built on a foundation of the internships. The foundation gave me better standing than another applicant who didn’t have internships on their resume.
No one starts at the top. No one hands you the best opportunities on a silver platter without you proving your worth to the world first. Therefore, internships are a great way to skip starting from the bottom and actually start from a positive territory.
My full time job offers came much easier in my senior year of college.
8) Should I Relocate for an Internship? Yes, It Teaches Personal Finance
Personal finance follows us where-ever we go. Both full time employees and interns. Sound budgeting and personal finance habits should be learned early. The early start is what makes the biggest impact to the later years. Should I relocate for an internship?
Yes, because it teaches you how to budget even more so if you stayed in the same city. I kept my housing costs very low during my internship, at $640 per month. Including utilities. It was amazing. That was when I truly had a good budget to follow.
Because my expenses were my responsibility. Ironically, that’s when I started reading personal finance blogs and immersed myself in the world of personal finance. That’s how I learned how to invest, budget, and save as much money as I possibly could.
Personal finance follows us everywhere we go because money is a big part of our lives. The good early footing gets us ahead.
9) Your Employer May Foot the Bill
If it’s a big company, chances are they will foot the relocation costs. Companies like KPMG, EY, Google, and more may foot the bill, even for a simple city to city move. Should I relocate for an internship? Yes and especially more so if companies pay for the costs.
Companies want the best and brightest and they’re willing to pay top dollar for top talent. Companies highly dislike it when interns can’t work for them because they can’t afford to. My move didn’t cost that much because all I did was pack a suitcase of my clothes.
That’s it. No more and no less. I just paid $30 for a bus ticket and everything turned out great! However, for big moves, companies are more than willing to pay for the costs. Especially if it’s a state to state move. Many of my friends moved from Texas to NYC for an internship.
The companies paid for the moving costs and everything worked out for them thereafter.
Should I Relocate for an Internship? My Story
I was so desperate for an internship during my college years that I applied to any and every opportunity listed on the college directory. I applied to 100+ job openings per year. It’s not like school kept me so busy I couldn’t apply to those opportunities, anyway.
Then I would get 1 offer per year to work during the summers. That’s what’s great about it. All you need is that one yes that changes your life around. In my Junior year of college, I got a job at a financial services valuation shop. $16/hr. The problem? It was in another city.
That was when I asked myself the question should I relocate for an internship? I didn’t even hesitate and I started planning my move to the city. Fortuitously, one of the interns there was moving out of the city as well. He sublet the apartment for a measly $640 per month. That was great!
I took the first internship opportunity because I didn’t make that much money to start with, anyway. That opportunity got me a full time job offer by the end. I eventually turned it down but in either case, I still had that choice.
The subsequent job applications I submitted turned out to be much easier. College students who had internships on their resume were few and far in between. Should I relocate for an internship? Yes because it’s worth the cost and mental headache.
When we’re young, we have endless amounts of energy. We have to take advantage of it.
Should I Relocate for an Internship? Internships Change Lives
The internship got me my start. Then I got more job opportunities and offers down the road. At the age of 28, I make $200k/yr. Not because I goofed off and didn’t care about my productivity in college. But because I cared about my productivity.
$200k income is life changing for any one. $200k income is life changing especially for someone in their 20s. Should I relocate for an internship? Yes because it can change your life for the better. Internships are not glamorous in which the companies will just give you busy work.
Not anything meaningful. However, just the fact that you’re paid for your time when you don’t even deliver a lot of value to begin with is what matters. I out earn many in their 30s and 40s because I built the foundation to my life so early.
Many all time titans today got their start through an internship. It leads to bigger opportunities than we know because not everyone scores a paid internship to work for the summer. I am glad I toiled away my summers in my internships and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Should I relocate for an internship? Yes, because no matter how great free time feels, having money feels even better. I was a poor college student who just wanted to make my way into the world. The world doesn’t hand you opportunities. You have to earn tham.
Internships are a great start to a bright future ahead.
Should I Relocate for an Internship? 9 Reasons Why Shortlist
- Paid interns find full time jobs easily
- Should I relocate for an internship? Yes, you can earn money
- A new adventure
- Dip your toe in the corporate world
- It fills your time with productivity
- An internship applies your learnings from school
- It’s a stepping stone
- Should I relocate for an internship? Yes, it teaches personal finance
- Your employer may foot the bill
