When you enroll in graduate school, you're really just a handful of months away from a career. Make sure you choose the right public policy master's degree program from our list of featured colleges and universities below.

If you've made it all the way to graduate school without serving an internship, you've missed out on an excellent opportunity to expand on and practice what you've been learning in your degree program.

College students can find any number of reasons to avoid interning: it's a lot of paper-shuffling and little real work, or you just don't have time, or you can't find the right opportunity, or you might have to work for little or no pay.

As you research master's degree programs in government and public policy, reconsider your stance on internships. Here's what you can get out of these excellent opportunities.

Networking: The Best Reason to Serve as an Intern

Face it, sometime you'll graduate from school and need to find a job. The very best way to find employment in public service and government is to know someone—or better yet, to know a bunch of people.

Keep track of everyone you meet during your internship. With some, you'll develop a close mentoring relationship. With others, you'll shake hands and have one opportunity to make an impression. Anyone you meet could be your doorway to a dream job, so keep their contact information and make an effort to get to know them.

Resume Building: Priceless Work Experience in Your Field

During a job interview, you'll be asked a series of questions about how you've handled situations related to your future work. This internship experience allows you to talk easily about yourself and shows you're a flexible person with leadership skills.

Graduate school teaches you a lot of great theory and lets you work on topics you're passionate about. Practicing your skills in an internship gives you a new perspective on your chosen field and exposes you to challenge and risk. This is priceless work experience.

Part-Time Job: Even If You Intern for Zero Pay

You might wonder why anyone would work without getting paid at least an hourly wage. The answer is, there are more valuable things than money—even to a graduate student.

Whether the internship is paid or unpaid, investigate what you'll be doing and who you'll be meeting. You're investing this time in your future career, and like many investments it may take some time before you start seeing returns. It's worth it!

Get some excellent advice on finding internship opportunities in government and public administration, or learn more about specializing a PhD program in public policy and administration.

Ready to apply to graduate school? Use our free college information listings to find out more about master's and doctorate programs in government.