Perks and Quirks of Virtual Internship

Perks and Quirks of Virtual Internship:

When I worked as an editorial intern for Art Animal magazine, I never got to see my boss in person.

Art Animal was a San Francisco-based magazine and, during the time of internship, I was a full-time student at the University of Michigan. I was a participant of a virtual internship, and I’m glad of the experience.

The New York Times says virtual internships are becoming increasingly popular, as Internships.com, the biggest internship search engine, reported a 20% increase in the number of virtual positions in the past year, amounting to 8,000 virtual internships offered on the website.

While working virtually for Art Animal, I had the leisure of choosing when and where to work. But the virtual internship came with more boundaries and restrictions than I had initially imagined. Inspired by Megan’s article on how to become a successful remote intern, I would like to share the perks and quirks of virtual internship.

There are more virtual internships to choose from than internships on campus

There were art magazines on campus I could’ve written for: the arts section of the school’s newspaper, Art Showcase, or iSPY. But none of them specialized in women artists’ works, which was Art Animal’s selling point for me.

When it comes to the number of opportunities, virtual internship has a better chance of suiting a student’s fancy than internships restricted by location. There is a limited number of internships around campus, but numerous virtual internships online. USA TODAY College’s Alexandra has put together how to search for a virtual internship.

Virtual internship allows students to keep their financial asset, especially when they’re not getting paid for the job

Virtual internship doesn’t require students to be in the office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., let alone drive to office or dress formal. Yet it still gives the opportunity to learn the work, in my example, getting original clips published to a large audience. Virtual internship allows students to work with what they already have–their laptop–instead of having to spend extra money on gas and housing.

Virtual internship builds discipline, but also makes it easier to procrastinate or get distracted

I’m going to be honest. When the boss wasn’t physically around to give you a nudge or brainstorm ideas with you, I found the simple task of submitting an article a week challenging. And I became more susceptible to procrastination and distraction of Facebook, tweeting and blogging.

It can be hard to stay motivated when you’re working by yourself, on your laptop, in your room. However, you’ll soon figure out the most productive place, time and way to get the job done. You’ll know what to do to stay motivated, or to fight off distraction. In the long run, virtual internship will help a student build discipline. On the other hand, if you know you’re easily susceptible to distractions and work better in groups, virtual internship might not be the best option.

Virtual internship grants flexible work hours, but not flexible deadlines

Students don’t have to take work off to fit internship in their busy schedule, or take a whole semester off for an internship. But keep in mind deadlines are still there. If the discipline and determination isn’t there, the flexible work hours could do more harm than good.

Virtual internship is a source of building connection, but won’t expose students to company’s corporate culture, opportunity to observe coworkers or insight into the profession

Just like any internship, if interns excel their virtual internship, they might be invited for an offline internship in the following summer or, even better, a full-time offer. Conference calls have different–less personal–vibe than face to face meetings. Emails and Skype conversations aren’t enough to get to know the coworkers. Lastly, the lack of physical presence could draw students back from learning the corporate culture, tips and insights of the profession.

Picture courtesy of  ManhattanMom.com