Top reasons for every student to choose NGO internship
Are you confused about interning at NGO? This article explains the top reasons to choose an NGO internship as this organization offers a unique and real-world experience. It builds leadership qualities and professional skills essential for career development.
Introduction
NGO stands for the non-profit organization. They work on various issues. Every student should opt to intern under such organizations. It is because these organizations provide plenty of experiences for young students in various fields. They may be working for women's rights or immigrants. They may be saving animals or putting in the effort to save the environment. A student can choose to work as an intern in any NGO depending on the cause or issue that is close to their heart or in the department where they want to have real-life experience. Also, interning under NGO builds a great resume for students in various fields and helps them seek a good job in the professional world. Students of law and sociology should particularly seek an NGO internship.How is NGO internship an exceptional experience?
Every NGO work for a cause and try to bring improvement in the life of people or animals. The work is done with selflessness. When young student volunteers to work at NGO, it is a great opportunity for him/her to see things from a different perspective. It helps the students to see how little things can change the lives of so many people. Their little effort is making a difference in the lives of so many is enough to make them feel good about themselves. Youths are the pillars of every country. If there has to be made a change in the society, it can very well be made by the younger generations who are out there ready to make difference in the lives of millions. Thus, before starting the career as a professional, if a student enrols in the NGO internship, he/she will have a sense of what is important and whatnot. After the internship period when they work as professionals, the experience of the internship will remind them to always work for the betterment of others. In whatever profession they seek a job, their main purpose will be to improve the lives of people and work for the development of the nation.
As described earlier, interning for NGO is not like interning for a company or other organization. It is a different experience. Interns contribute here to make a difference. They see how their little effort can make an enormous impact on the lives of those who are dependent on others. Also, here they get to meet unique people. Since NGO in itself is a unique organization, it attracts people from all fields. People from many different sectors and many different places or countries join NGO, and they all share love and passion for what they do. Meeting such kind of unique people and hearing interesting stories of their various experiences is good for a young intern. Right sort of motivation is a key to success and that is what interning at NGO offers. Interning at NGO is not a regular 9 to 5 job. Usually, it does not pay anything. However, if a person wishes to gain some wonderful experience in life, it is the right place to work as an intern. It allows travelling to various places and meeting new people.What do NGO internships offer?
Interning at NGO is not an easy job. An intern has to perform various day to day activities, and thus, by the end of the internship will gain plenty of experiences in various fields. It is like a learning period for the interns, and the best thing is that learning is not taking place in a comfortable, cosy environment but in a real-life environment where their effort is changing the lives of many. Interning at NGO will help to sharpen social skills. Interns will learn various things such as how to take care of finances. They will learn to use social media. On day to day basis, they will be conducting real-life research. Who would not like to appoint someone who is equipped with so many professional skills? While joining NGO, an individual might have certain skills but might not know about them. NGO's are the right places to explore all that which is hidden inside and build many more valuable skills set.
It is said that either a person is a trendsetter or isn't. Only a few have that ability, and the rest are happy following. Thus, many sense the absence of supervision qualities in them and take a back seat. Those who wish to explore it within or build it in them should work at NGO. In any field, it may take years to reach the top position. Leading a team of a few professionals will be allowed after an individual gain some experience. However, in NGO, an intern may become the leader as soon as he/she has joined it. No organization can help to build such quality in an intern as early as compared to NGO. Many associate internship periods with doing some grunt work which is usually repetitive, non-skill based and boring. Many employers who serve as supervisors for interns, therefore, avoid interns and take them lightly. NGO's are not like them. They value every individual who is there to contribute in some way or the other.
Young minds have lots of enthusiasm in them. They have so many plans and strategies while growing up and have so much to offer to bring a difference in the lives of needy. NGO allows them to implement their ideas and make it happen in the real world. No corporate sector or organization other than NGO would entertain and give such kind of liberty. There work is fixed, and they do not let the professionals or interns carry out weird changes and disrupt their work routine. However, in NGO, interns are allowed to speak their mind. Their voices will not be shut down. Their opinions and insights about everything will matter. Those ideas with some logics in them will get implemented right away.
Interns in NGO's will learn humbleness in their internship period. It is a rare quality, at least in today's world. It is very much needed to keep a person down to earth. The more the person is free from ego, the better will be his perspective on self and others. Gaining that kind of perspective and learning humbleness early in life will help them in the long run when they work as professionals in different fields. In every sector and organization, the decisions have to be made. If there is too much ego in everyone, there will always be chaos. How good will it be if a few professionals are working in organizations with zero egos in them? Everyone will listen to them and care about their opinions.
In every sector, interns get to socialize. It is recommended to them to build a strong professional network during that period so that they can guarantee a job for themselves, immediately after their internship. Thus, the professional network that is built is mainly based on mutual benefit. Interns benefit from securing a job and employers benefit by employing interns so that they do not have to train new employees who join them. NGO is different from all those organizations or companies. Here, there is interaction with real people who share the same dream, and that dream is to make a difference. Since the relationship is built on selfless reasons, it lasts forever.
When an individual interns for NGO, he/she works for the cause. They work for the betterment of society. In the process, they face many issues as hurdles. These hurdles serve as lifetime experiences for them. They learn how to cross them and become victorious. Every day their problem-solving ability increases. Thus, those who work as interns in NGO's can withstand stress under a high-pressure environment which is seen in almost all sectors nowadays, especially in the corporate world. These interns are likely to develop numerous qualities such as patience, empathy and have a positive outlook towards everything in life. The whole work experience helps them in their personality development.Is interning at NGO good enough for a career?
Many would approach an organization or a professional employer to secure their internship. However, there will only be a few who would join NGO. Working with NGO is a unique experience, and not many dare to gain this kind of experience. It is because working at NGO is not a piece of cake. Thus, those who volunteer are building an excellent resume for themselves. When these interns go out to seek a job, they do not fail to impress in any way. It is because their resume speaks a lot about their character. They have worked for a cause in the real environment amidst real people. Thus, they have an upper hand against those who have worked under a comfortable organization or a firm. Not only volunteers at NGO will be able to get a job easily, but it will also help interns to seek admission in higher classes without much effort.
Most of the people are interested in doing an internship in Govt or private profit-making industries hoping for a good prospect later for job hunting. This article will really help in removing that myth from the minds of the students or the professionals that internship from Govt or industry is the only option. Actually, some of the NGOs are working for the benefit of the larger community in our country and their work pertains to realities at ground level and learning them is definitely a remarkable achievement. From this angle the option of doing an internship with NGOs makes sense. It is a different thing that NGOs would not be able to give scholarships or stipend to the interns but when it comes to the ground level practical learning then the scholarship should never be an issue. I also feel that working with an NGO would also inculcate certain skills which generally cannot be learned in big organisations.