The time is upon us – graduation season. Just one month from now, another crop of PR graduates will be entering the “real world” – transitioning from the world of final exams and nightly homework to 8-to-5 jobs and water cooler conversations. The question is, are these graduates ready? And if they aren’t, do we have anyone to blame but ourselves?

An article titled “Preparing students for the future” in the most recent issue of PR Tactics took a closer look at internship programs across the country. I started reading the article expecting to see positive phrases like “paid internships are the norm” or “college graduates are ready for full-time employment.” Instead, the article stated, “only 36 percent of internships provide salary or stipends for student work” and “about 40 percent say their internship coordinators interact with students three or fewer times during the course of the internship.”

One of the most common complaints I’ve heard from senior practitioners is college graduates lack on-the-job experience and a good work ethic. The only way graduates are going to learn is if someone teaches them. And as public relations practitioners, we are that someone. After all, the future of the industry depends on it.

Internships shouldn’t be viewed as an opportunity to hire cheap labor. And interns definitely shouldn’t be employees who are only seen at their welcome and farewell lunches. Interns are the future of the public relations profession. They are students whose desire to succeed in this industry motivates them to start before they have to. Most schools don’t require internships. Therefore, most interns aren’t doing this because they have to – they actually want to.

I challenge all public relations practitioners to start looking at internships in a different light. The most rewarding experience you can have is to mentor another person. Take it from someone who benefited from a successful internship experience herself – by helping one student, you aren’t just making a difference in his or her life; you are shaping the future of this profession for years to come.