Beyond the Internship Arms Race: Reclaiming Meaningful Career Development

by Nicholas Alexander Singh

Following the response to my previous article, “Internship Arms Race,” where I highlighted the pressure on students to stack multiple internships in a bid to stay competitive, I’ve been charged by some stakeholders for not holding others to account. Fair point. While I focused on the overwhelming burden on students, several argued that employers, universities, and even government bodies play an equally crucial role in perpetuating this cycle.

So, let’s go back to the drawing board and take a closer look at who’s really driving this madness—and why it’s time for all of us to rethink the internship obsession.

The Student Perspective: A Frenzied Race with No Finish Line

The heart of the issue, of course, is the students. With over 80% of undergraduates at SMU and NUS completing multiple internships each year, it's clear that the pressure to compete in the job market has reached new heights. Yet, as I pointed out before, students are often burning out as they chase the ideal resume—one that ticks off as many internships as possible. This approach has led to an endless cycle of students scrambling to gain experience without taking the time to reflect on what that experience actually means for their future.

Here’s the kicker: In their desperate rush to pile up experiences, students are sacrificing opportunities for personal development and deeper learning. Instead of focusing on the skills that will truly benefit them in their careers—like emotional intelligence, leadership, and adaptability—they’re busy ticking boxes to create the illusion of a well-rounded CV.

Employers: Who Set This Ridiculous Bar, Anyway?

Now, on to the employers. Many pointed out that I wasn’t explicit enough in calling out the role of hiring managers and recruiters in this whole internship debacle. Let's be honest: employers love to complain about a lack of work experience in fresh graduates, but when did this expectation become the gold standard? It's not uncommon for entry-level positions to demand two or three internships before a candidate even steps into the job.

Employers, it’s time to stop pretending that more internships automatically mean more capable candidates. The truth is, many companies are more interested in experience than potential. But here's the reality: internships, as they’re currently structured, rarely provide students with real-world, hands-on experience. Instead, many of these internships become little more than a cheap source of free labour, with interns filling coffee cups, sorting files, and staring at spreadsheets.

If employers truly want the best talent, they need to provide real, meaningful experiences during internships—opportunities where students are actually exposed to decision-making, leadership, and projects that help them grow. If you're relying on internships as a way to vet talent, it’s time to take responsibility for making these experiences worthwhile. Otherwise, you're just complicit in the cycle of exploitation and burnout that affects both students and the workforce as a whole.

Universities: The Middlemen of the Madness

Next, let’s talk about the universities. Some argued I was too harsh on institutions for pushing students to take on multiple internships. But let’s be honest: universities, while advocating for more meaningful internships, are also driven by the pressure to ensure their students remain competitive in a crowded job market. This often translates into pushing the "more is better" mentality—students must pile on as many internships as they can.

Universities, in theory, should be guiding students toward career paths that align with their goals and interests. But often, the focus is on cramming as many internships as possible into a student’s schedule. In the process, meaningful career exploration gets sidelined, leaving students to wonder why, despite having so many internships, they’re still unsure of what they actually want to do in their careers.

That’s why I say universities need to shift their focus. They should be facilitating deeper learning experiences, ones that help students develop critical skills like leadership, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving, rather than pushing them toward a mindless accumulation of resume items. After all, what’s the point of stuffing a resume with internships if the student hasn’t had the opportunity to reflect on or grow from those experiences?

Government: The Elephant in the Room

Lastly, I’ve been called out for not addressing the government’s role in all this. In Singapore, government bodies like Workforce Singapore (WSG) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) have long been promoting initiatives like SkillsFuture and lifelong learning programs. These programs aim to help students gain the skills they need to succeed in an evolving job market, and yet, the internship model continues to reign supreme.

Here's where the government has a chance to step in. The obsession with internships as a key indicator of readiness for the workforce is simply outdated. Skills, adaptability, and potential are just as important, if not more so, than ticking off internship after internship. The government needs to continue its work in promoting alternative pathways—skills-based training, job simulations, and real-world problem-solving projects—to break the tyranny of the internship.

Let’s be clear: the current system is broken, and it’s not just students, employers, or universities who need to change. The government has a role to play in promoting a wider array of career development pathways, making sure students have more options than just internships to prove they’re job-ready.

A Collaborative Effort: Breaking the Cycle

If we want to break this cycle, all stakeholders—students, employers, universities, and the government—need to get on the same page.

1. Employers, it’s time to drop the assumption that multiple internships equate to better candidates. Start focusing on skills, adaptability, and potential, rather than the quantity of internships someone has. And while you’re at it, make sure your internships actually provide real value—because right now, many of them don’t.
2. Universities, stop pushing students to collect as many internships as possible. It’s time to emphasize quality and personal growth, guiding students to seek internships that help them explore their career aspirations, not just add to an ever-growing list of resume entries.
3. Students, it’s time to stop chasing the "perfect" resume and instead focus on learning, reflecting, and developing the skills that truly matter in the long run. Internships can be useful, but they should never be your sole measure of success. Personal projects, side hustles, and leadership roles in co-curricular activities can offer equally valuable learning experiences.
4. Government bodies, keep promoting alternative pathways to career readiness, but make sure these pathways are front and center in the conversation. It’s time to move beyond the internship arms race and broaden the definition of what it means to be “work-ready.”

Conclusion: The Time for Change is Now

This obsession with multiple internships is not only unsustainable—it’s also counterproductive for all involved. Internships, while useful, need to be reimagined as part of a broader, more balanced approach to career development. By focusing on skills, adaptability, and meaningful experiences rather than simply counting internships, we can create a system that better supports students, reduces burnout, and cultivates a future workforce that is truly ready to adapt to an ever-changing job market.

So, let’s stop pretending that more internships = better careers. Let’s shift the focus to what truly matters: building a workforce that is resilient, capable, and fulfilled, ready to thrive in a dynamic world of work. Because, after all, what’s the point of running the internship race if you’re too burnt out to cross the finish line?