Entry-level endeavors

Starting your career journey is like setting sail on uncharted seas, especially when navigating the realm of entry-level jobs. This edition of The Confident Candidate aims to be your compass, offering insights, strategies, and real-world advice for those beginning their professional voyage. Whether you're a fresh graduate or ready to explore a new career path, understanding how to transition from entry-level positions to roles that require more experience is crucial. Join us as we look at the role of internships today, how to break free from the "entry-level loop," and make the most of your first job.

Are internships replacing entry-level jobs?

While internships may seem like a modern invention, the concept actually dates back to the Middle Ages, when young workers would temporarily live and work with a mentor to learn skilled trades or crafts. While today’s interns may not have the medieval benefits of room and board—let alone a salary—the principles remain the same. Over the past few decades, internships have become more common across all industries, to the point where they are now a standard checkpoint on almost everyone’s career journey. The duration, intensity, and structure of internships vary across fields, but the core element is always (supposedly) to provide a learning opportunity for inexperienced workers.

However, as internships become standard practice, they are starting to change the hierarchy of the job market itself, and not for the better. What was once seen as a low-stakes chance to test out a certain industry or role has become a highly competitive requirement for entry into many specialized industries. For many job hunters, it’s beginning to feel like internships are replacing many entry-level jobs, as salaried positions become more and more elusive for recent graduates trying to get their start.

What is the purpose of internships?

The foundation of any internship is the opportunity for a student or worker with little to no relevant professional background to explore an industry or career that interests them and gain new experience that can help them find an entry-level job down the line. Internships are more often geared toward students, providing a more flexible work schedule to accommodate classes and sometimes providing academic credit along with work experience. Internships are a valuable and sometimes necessary opportunity to learn key skills and gain real-world insight into your prospective field. Apart from the possibility of landing a job, internships can also help you earn your degree, improve your candidacy for graduate school, and set you on track for specialized industries like medicine, law, academia, and skilled trades.

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