I think that a majority of us have had a teacher at some point in high school who could not simply help but overstate the importance of the role an internship can play in our lives. As painfully annoying as that may have seemed at the time to all of us – and it’s nothing to be ashamed of – there might be more than just a little truth in the ramblings of that one “overzealous” teacher.

As most of you go to college, you’ll soon discover that in a breakneck world like the one we inhabit today, straight A’s and a solid 3.75 GPA are not going to cut it. In a market full of more supply and less demand of high-potential, well-rounded talent, employers are constantly seeking out those individuals who are able to set themselves apart not in one or two, but multiple ways. One simple must that you as potential employees to these big-name employers need to start doing now is looking for internships, and here’s why:

Boost your resume: This is by far the most obvious plus there is to getting an internship in a field that you want to go into eventually. By having this on your resume, you guarantee a prospective employer that you have had real-time, hands-on experience and that you are comfortable in a fast-paced, corporate environment.

Identify your interests: For any of you who just read that subtitle and did a double take, you didn’t read that wrong at all. Even though it is almost always recommended that you figure out your interests before you get an internship, the best way to find out whether you truly like something is by trying it out. In fact, a lot of you might end up hating doing what you think you want to eventually pursue professionally, and only internships can help you figure that out.

Establish networks: Personally, I feel that this is the most you can get out of an internship. When you intern with a company even when it’s just a small company, it happens oftentimes that someone in an authoritative position at that company might be able to connect you to someone at a bigger enterprise in the same line of work. As a matter of fact, you’ll be surprised how many networks you can become a part of by just making the effort to get to know people when you’re interning.

That’s it for today, folks! Make sure you quit slacking off, get that foot in the door and get an internship!