31 Aug Virtual Summer Internship: Top Pros & Cons
PRO: Intern Where You Dream
No longer location or a travel barrier can keep you from your dream company or field. With so many companies now being remote, you can truly explore any option you have an interest in! According to Shop Savi’s remote work statistics: By 2025, 22% of individuals (that is 36.2 million Americans) will work remotely. The site also reports that “85% of employers believe that remote work will become a new rule”. Whether it’s an amazing company in the field of your dreams or the company you’ve had your eyes on practically since birth, both very likely have virtual summer internships. With the whole world reachable now from your tiny bedroom, there isn’t an excuse to not utilize this time to get an early jumpstart on your future.
PRO: Maintain Your Summer Life
There’s no denying how comfortable and convenient it can be to intern from home. Not only does it allow you to get back more of your day, but it also detaches you from one spot, allowing you to work on the go and take your laptop wherever you please. You don’t have to worry about commuting, or being tied down to a set work schedule. According to research done by Upwork.com, 49.6 minutes on average are saved a day from those working remotely versus those working in the office. With almost an entire hour gained back, it’s a no-brainer how remote work will save you time.
If you are choosing how to spend your summer, a virtual summer internship can be a great way to truly make the most of the summer while gaining valuable experience in the field of your choice. As long as the internship agrees, you can even take your work with you as you travel this summer! If you have a stable internet connection and a laptop, there’s nothing stopping you from making the most of both work and summer, simultaneously.
PRO: Valuable Lifelong Skills
According to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report, employers rated critical thinking and analysis, problem-solving, and self-management as the most critical skills for the global workforce moving into 2025. Self-management, specifically, is a fabulous skill to develop remotely, as a virtual summer internship requires you to master your time and stay focused without your employer’s eyes and proximity keeping you focused. This is a vital skill to learn early, and one you will absolutely develop with a virtual summer internship.
Learning early on, how you best stay motivated and focused when plagued with the distraction of working at home, will only benefit you as you continue down whichever career path you choose, as you will have already had practice with it.
CON: Real connections during your internship
A frequent complaint of the new digital workplace is that first-person interactions, and the subsequent relationships built, are greatly missed. It can be hard to stand out and make an impact on your superiors when you’re confined to a tiny screen. Meeting future mentors in an online space can make the relationship-building portion much more difficult than it might be in person.
Because of this, it is vital to take extra steps to meet coworkers. Schedule one-on-ones with people in your company that have interesting jobs to you. Ask questions! Instead of building relationships by proximity, you have to do a bit more leg work to truly establish yourself on others’ radars. While it’s difficult, it’s still very possible to create lasting professional relationships in an online summer internship, and can help teach you how to communicate effectively online.
At the end of the day, interning regardless of whether it is virtual or not in high school allows you to network far better than deciding to work a more “traditional” summer high school job.
CON: Digital fatigue
Excessive screen time and screen fatigue can turn us into unhealthy, grumpy, and exhausted versions of ourselves. And with remote working and virtual meetings in your virtual internship, it’s crucial to learn how to avoid that. Being remote can often blur traditional work hours, resulting in longer time worked. Setting boundaries for yourself can greatly aid in avoiding being constantly available to your employer. Take tech-free breaks, maintain good posture, and keep your to-do list organized. And the most important part – is to disconnect whenever possible. Also, as part of the Absolute Internship Remote Internship Program, you will also receive the Wellness Guide for more tips to stay healthy during your internship.
Overall, choosing to try out a virtual summer internship will only help you in the future. As the world becomes more digital, it would be helpful to have some savvy digital work-related skills ready to go as you advance in your schooling and career. So go out there and virtually work your butt off!
No Comments