As spring term starts up, it seems that summer is finally within reach. College students across the country are trying to get their summer plans in line, including everything from vacations to jobs.

A conflict that many students encounter is whether they should apply for paid jobs over the summer or pursue an internship. In a lot of cases, internships are unpaid. However there are plenty that provide wages. If you’re lucky, an internship may offer college credit upon completion as well.

As “starving college students,” earning money over the summer is essential for school year survival. Often students are torn between the desire to gain experience in their career field and the reality of their financial situations. Earning money over the summer is something that, for some people is not a question.

Internships can be the connections that get your foot in the door for your career later on down the road. A summer job can help with yearly expenses and tuition.

So what is better? Should students pursue internships or jobs over the summer? Well, it is different for every situation.

“Carefully consider your ultimate goals before accepting a position, paid or unpaid,” Vice President of Ameriprise Financial Suzanna de Baca said in an article on huffingtonpost.com. “A paid internship may be your goal but if jobs are few and far between in the industry you want to enter or if you’re looking for a job at a specific company, an unpaid internship may be one of the best ways to network into the business.”

There are many factors that come into play when weighing the situation. A large factor that one must consider is their financial situation. If you know that you need to have an income over the summer to help with tuition or other expenses, then it would be best to consider either a paid job or a paid internship. An unpaid internship that counted towards college credit also has its financial benefits. When you think about it, the credits that one would earn could save them hundreds of dollars of tuition fees that they would have spent to earn those credits at their university.

“Internships can often provide excellent work experience in a field or with an organization that is hard to break in to,” Karen Chopra said in an article on washingtonpost.com. “They can facilitate networking by exposing you to a new group of people, but only if you actually take advantage of the exposure to make connections.”

The connections and networking opportunities that sometimes can come with an internship are priceless.

“Sometimes students have to take on a part time job not related to their career while doing an unpaid internship,” Mandy Devereux said, Associate Director at the UO Career Center. “We advise students to spend even a few hours a week volunteering for someone at an internship because you want to get the experience in the area you want to grow in. Sometimes you have to get creative.”

When weighing your options, think about what is most beneficial to you in the long run. Whether that is contributing to tuition with the money you make at your summer job, or laying the groundwork for your future career path at an internship, do only what is best for your situation. Remember there are ways to pursue both, and the UO Career Center has many career specialists on hand to help students put together the pieces of their puzzle.

The Career Center phone number is (541) 346-3235 or they may be contacted at career@uoregon.edu.