High School Is Too Soon For Internships

[Anonymous]

This has been discussed in multiple threads before. I’ve been approached by high schoolers looking for internships. I have high school age relatives trying to get internships in different fields. I’m wondering when this push towards internships during high school began. It’s hard to convince students and parents that it’s ok and maybe even good to work at a “regular” summer job during high school and even college.

[Anonymous]

DC goes to a large public school and the last 2 months of senior year they spend at an "internship." I use air quotes since many are just part-time jobs that would be typical for a high schooler.

My husband went to the same high school, and this was an option for seniors at the time, but not a requirement like it is now, so even 20+ years ago this was happening on some level.

My personal opinion is this creates an unrealistic expectation for students starting in high school. There's also definitely a push by students in other grades to try to get an 'in' before senior year, whether it's job shadowing or outreach.

[Anonymous]

My kid did not work during HS or freshman year of college. I couldn't imagine pushing for an internship. They instead were focused on ec activities and volunteering. They just started their first part time job this summer.

Friends of ours who could have helped with an early internship will still be connected on LinkedIn once their account is set up. What is the point, especially if it not in their field of interest? Most kids change majors once or twice during college.

Maybe in some communities this is an expectation like HS research? To me it seems like overkill, unless your kid is personally driven to engage in these activities.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately kids can't be kids these days. The push to get into top colleges begin in Pre-K and parents are curating their kids for elite school admissions. Sad.

[Anonymous]

Government labs have had small numbers of HS interns for decades. Not a new thing at all.

[Anonymous]

High school is not too early for internships, they are just very, very competitive (particularly paid ones). DC did “normal” summer jobs after freshman and sophomore years, and then landed a prestigious, paid internship summer before senior year. It was an amazing experience and we are convinced to helped significantly with admission to a T10. Having just graduated, DC has a second paid internship for a local company in their marketing department, which has also been an incredible experience. Given the current job market for new graduates, I don’t know why anyone would discourage high school students from seeking out internship opportunities.

(And to be clear neither internship was found by mom and dad).

[Anonymous]

High school Kids who don’t live close enough to large metro areas can’t access a lot of internships as easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:High school Kids who don’t live close enough to large metro areas can’t access a lot of internships as easily.

So? This doesn’t mean that high schoolers who live in a large metro area should do them and learn from the experience.

In the 80s, I went to Madeira. Starting sophomore year, every Wednesday you did an internship. Sophomore year it was healthcare or education. Junior year everyone worked on the hill. Senior year you got to choose. It was a very valuable experience, developed professional maturity and gave insight into various fields. Many kids did internships on their own during the summer too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid did not work during HS or freshman year of college. I couldn't imagine pushing for an internship. They instead were focused on ec activities and volunteering. They just started their first part time job this summer.

Friends of ours who could have helped with an early internship will still be connected on LinkedIn once their account is set up. What is the point, especially if it not in their field of interest? Most kids change majors once or twice during college.

Maybe in some communities this is an expectation like HS research? To me it seems like overkill, unless your kid is personally driven to engage in these activities.

Not even sure how to respond to this post. Did you seriously not make your child get a job during high school!? So many life skills are learned from those early positions - seems like a huge missed opportunity. Likewise with internships, students learn so many important skills simply by researching and applying. Drafting résumés and cover letters, creating a LinkedIn profile, researching companies, conducting interviews - all of these skills can and should be learned in high school. Even if a student isn’t able to secure an internship, they at least have laid the groundwork for college. (If you hadn’t noticed the job market is pretty awful for new grads).

[Anonymous]

No one is saying that kids who have access to internships in major metro areas shouldn’t do them. PP was just pointing out that the summer opportunities for kids in smaller towns may be limited to more traditional summer jobs and those can be valuable in their own way.

[Anonymous]

Applying for retail jobs can also lay the ground work for future internship applications- learning how to use Indeed, communicate with prospective employers, interview, dress for interviews, research the employer beforehand, etc.

[Anonymous]

DC's spring semester internship (senior year) absolutely helped her decide between two different acceptances - one in a related STEM program vs another undeclared admission at a similarly strong school with a more broad academic offering. She was previously unsure about that focus but was comfortable committing afterward.

I don't think there should be any pressure to pad a college application with high school internships. On the other hand, they can certainly help in a number of ways.