Dear readers,

    Have you ever considered getting a job while going to school? Whether it is to earn some extra money for that winter vacation in the Bahamas, to gain experience in a particular career field or both, many students pursue on- and off-campus part-time jobs while in school. Working at the university library, as a lifeguard at the athletic center and as a teaching assistant for a class are just a few on-campus student employment opportunities. Off campus, students become sales associates at popular retail stores, and so on. Those with entrepreneurial spirits even venture into startups, initiating their own businesses or joining an existing team with a similar vision.

    However, a great alternative to a part-time job, in my opinion, is an internship. Internships and part-time jobs are similar in many ways. One distinction is the fact that in an internship, one of the primary objectives is to learn. As a result, internships can provide highly valuable training and industry experience. Whether you are interested in finance, accounting, computer science or any other field, you’ll find quite a number of large firms that offer internship programs year-round.

    The major downside to internships is that many do not pay the interns. Learning from the employers is an essential portion of the internship, which many employers think is more important than fairly paying their interns. However, lawsuits filed by unpaid interns last year regarding their compensation raised questions about the legality of not fairly compensating interns for their hard work. Consistent with the idea of an internship being a learning experience, some colleges and companies offer for-credit internships. This means taking on an internship is like taking on an extra course. Usually, though, the number of credits you receive for the internship will be lower than that of a core class, so perhaps 1 to 2 credits.

    Speaking of academic credit outside the classroom, I also wanted to let you know about research opportunities that are worth credits as well. As with internships, participating in research projects can be a valuable hands-on experience where you can learn to apply theories from your coursework.

    Whether you are looking for a part-time job, internship or research position, be sure to strike a balance between your extracurricular activities, work, and academics.

    Sincerely,

    Bingyin

    Li Bingyin is studying finance at the Stern School of Business at New York University.