In order to achieve a successful career, one often needs to be a leader. Leadership is not only beneficial for those in charge of teams or groups, but it is also essential for anyone looking to move up the career ladder. Leadership skills can be learned and developed through different experiences and training programs. However, what is most important is that individuals are willing to take on new challenges and put themselves out there. By having strong leadership qualities, an individual is able to set themselves apart from their peers and advance their career. But the question is how do you practice leadership? What skills should you have to pursue a leadership role? Keeping these in mind, Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC) held a two-week-long career expo on ‘essential leadership skills to build a career in a rapidly changing world.’ In the career expo, different leaders from different sectors conveyed their experience about leadership. Here is what you need to keep in mind to become a successful leader. Preparation Leadership starts from preparation, that is what was addressed by the career expo webinar moderator BYLC President Ejaj Ahmad. In order to be an effective leader, it is important to have a clear understanding of what your role entails and what is expected of you. Preparation is key to success in any field, and this is especially true for those who aspire to lead others. By taking the time to learn about the different aspects of your job and the organization you work for, you will be better equipped to handle challenges and make decisions that are in the best interest of both. By understanding the basics of your job, you will be able to take the first steps towards becoming a leader. Read BYLC Ventures opens applications for fourth cohort Take responsibility A good leader is someone who takes responsibility for their actions and can be counted on in times of need. Responsibility is the foundation of leadership, and by taking responsibility you are able to build trust with others. People will respect you more if they know that you are a reliable person, and this will help you to become a better leader. When you take responsibility for your mistakes, you learn from them and become stronger. About taking responsibility, Centre for Research and Information (CRI) Trustee Radwan Mujib Siddiq conveyed, "Youth today must prepare themselves adequately and take responsibility. If you make a mistake, own it instead of hiding it. However, you should be able to defend your thought process even if you make a mistake." Read BYLC to instill leadership skills in 3,000 youths Become a part of the team and find your own niche Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. What works for one person may not be effective for another. To grow as a leader, you need to find your own niche and become a part of the team. This may require some experimentation, but it's worth the effort. Once you have found your niche, focus on developing the skills required to be successful in that role. Be prepared to put in the time and effort required to achieve your goals. Md. Shahriar Alam, MP, State Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussed the matter and shared experiences from his first job of his life. He said, “Do what you feel strongly about and what feels right to you. Don’t pay heed to the opposition of your peers or even mentors.” Communication Skills It is often said that communication is the lifeblood of any organization. Whether it is a start-up or a multinational conglomerate, if people can't communicate effectively, the company will grind to a halt. And yet, so many people seem to underestimate the importance of communication skills. As a leader, it is essential to be able to not only communicate with your team but also to be able to listen to them. Communication is not just about transmitting information; it is also about building relationships and establishing trust. If you cannot do that, you won't be a leader for long. Read BYLC launches Volunteer Awards 2021 Never fear a failure There are a lot of reasons why you should not fear a failure to become a good leader. The most important reason is that you can learn from your failures. Everyone makes mistakes, but it's how you respond to your failures that determines your success. A good leader takes failures in stride and learns from them. They use their failures as a way to become better leaders. So, don't be afraid to fail – it's the best way to learn and become a successful leader. Mercy Miyang Tembon, World Bank’s Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan conveyed some wise words about being a failure. She said, “Never fear failure. Failure is the first attempt at learning.” Critical thinking and problem-solving skills The ability to think critically and solve problems are essential skills for any workplace. Critical thinking skills allow you to analyze and evaluate information, while problem-solving skills allow you to identify and implement solutions to problems. These skills are important for all employees but are especially critical for those in management or leadership roles. A workforce that is able to think critically and solve problems is more efficient and productive and is better able to meet the challenges of the modern workplace. Member of Parliament, Nahim Razzaq conveyed, “Be driven and create a career, based on trust, knowledge sharing, and networking. These are the assets that you build in the working environment.” Read BYLC Youth Leadership Summit 2021 aspires for a more inclusive future Learn through practice Leadership is often considered a quality that is innate, or that someone is born with. However, leadership can also be learned and developed over time with practice. Learning through practice is an important way to grow as a leader. It allows you to experiment with different techniques and strategies, learn what works and what doesn’t, and develop your own leadership style. Additionally, learning through practice helps you to build relationships and networks with other leaders. These relationships can provide you with valuable resources and support, which can help you to further develop as a leader. Regarding this matter the Dutch Ambassador, Anne van Leeuwen mentioned, “Leadership cannot only be learned from a book; you have to learn through practice.” Final Words Leaders are not born, but they are made. They have a clear vision and are able to articulate it in a way that inspires others to follow them. Leaders also have a strong sense of values and principles that they live by. Finally, leaders are able to take care of their people and make sure they have what they need to be successful. We hope that BYLC's two-week-long career expo in 2022 will help the nation build portential leaders who will lead the country in future.

The term internship refers to a professional learning opportunity which offers meaningful, and practical work experience related to the academic study field or career interest of a student or tyoung professional. Are you are wondering which internship opportunity is worth your time paid or unpaid? There are positives and negatives of each type of internship. So, what are the pros and cons of paid and unpaid internships? Let’s do an extensive analysis. Pros of Paid internships Many people are under the impression that in order to get a good job, you need to have experience. But internships give you a chance to work with the company without any obligation. And, if you get paid for that, you will surely love that. The advantages of a paid internship are as follows. Compensation The salary will motivate you to work harder than if it was a volunteer position. No one likes to work for free. Even those who are used to volunteering to help those less fortunate will agree that the feeling of getting paid for their time is rewarding and motivating. Read Poor Job Satisfaction: 10 Sure-fire Signs for Career Change Learning opportunity You will learn so much during your internship while working in a professional environment. Paid internships will get you the opportunity to learn many things and will boost your organizational skills. Get a fulltime job offer And it is likely you will be offered a job in the company after your internship ends. This is a great benefit when you consider how hard it can be to find jobs once you graduate, especially if your specialty is in fields such as science, medicine, technology, and engineering. Opportunity to work abroad If you have an excellent academic background, you may get an internship offer from abroad and it is paid too. The biggest pro of getting paid as an intern abroad is that it could be the first step on your journey to working in another country for longer periods of time. You can use the experience abroad to make connections that will help you in your future career path. Read How to Stand Up Against a Workplace Bully? Proper Guidance You will get a boss as well as a mentor. Your mentor will teach you well-known industry secrets, secrets from success stories in their field, and tips that even big publications do not know about yet. Cons of Paid internships Paid internship has some cons. Your salary is capped It's hard to get the experience that many people crave when your time is limited, and your payment is fixed. Companies are trying to save money, while they will try to get the most out of you. Read Midlife Career Change: Best Careers to Start at 40 or 50 No Surity of Job In a paid internship, employers may not try to keep you for the long term. Even if you give your best, sometimes being employed may not offer you a full-time job. They just want to benefit from you and at the end of your internship period they just hire a new intern. That’s how they do all the tasks using interns at a low cost. You do not get benefits Even if you are on a paid internship, it is hard to get health insurance or even paid time off if anything happens. This is especially bad if you have classes first thing in the morning and work later at night. This causes you to get the least amount of sleep, which can be dangerous when operating heavy machinery. Poor Salary In case of a paid internship, you may not get an expected raise when you join full time. If you are looking for big bucks and this is your first time interning in the field and joining full time, your pay might be capped at no more than half of what you used to make. Read High Paid Jobs that Will Never be Replaced by AI Advantages of unpaid internships An unpaid internship is different from a paid position, as the intern receives no salary or benefits. In some cases, internships are given to those who have little or no experience in the field. This may be beneficial for new workers. There are many advantages to unpaid interns.  Learning beyond your chosen field   The best thing about an unpaid internship is that it is specifically geared towards your chosen industry, so there is no need to worry about jumping from one internship that does not suit your needs. You can use the skills learned in your field of expertise in a completely different industry and vice versa. Opportunity to develop professionally There are many job roles within an industry that are not given to people who go through programs or got their degrees on subjects covered by universities. These roles are normally filled by unpaid interns. The people who are chosen for these positions are usually hard workers who have amazing potential and go above and beyond to accomplish whatever is thrown at them. Read Top 10 Software Engineer Skills to Help You Get Hired Networking Networking is extremely important in your job hunt, and having an unpaid internship will give you tons of opportunities to network and make friends. Another great networking opportunity you will get through an unpaid internship is working with the same person again after they have been hired. Paid Opportunity There are a lot of opportunities for interns to get a paid position in the same company. It has been seen that so many people get hired after successfully completing an unpaid internship. Read Negotiating Salary: How to Get the Best Out of a New Job Disadvantages of unpaid internships Unpaid internship has some drawbacks. You should be aware of the cons before undertaking an unpaid internship. The companies should also check out the probable cons before involving an unpaid intern. - When some low-experienced people join unpaid internship positions, it can be detrimental for them when there is not enough scope for learning professional skills. - As an unpaid intern, your work experience with employers is likely to be limited. - It makes future interviews and opportunities more difficult than the regular paid channels. - Depending on your industry, you may have to do all of the duties of a regular employee at free of cost. - As you are not getting paid for your work, you may not concentrate fully and get depressed. - Without minimum payment, you may face difficulties to cover your basic expenses like food, housing, transportation cost etc. - Your employment could end without warning and there is nothing that can guarantee that you will be compensated in any way.   Read 7 Ways to Become a Genuine Expert in Your Chosen Field How long should you do unpaid internships? A common misconception is that you can do an unpaid internship indefinitely. But really there are many limitations on the length of time an intern can work without any wages. The most important thing to keep in mind when considering an unpaid internship is whether or not the experience will be worth it. Usually, the length of an unpaid internship is three to four months. Conclusion It is an issue of debate whether paid or unpaid intership worth your time and hard work? Unpaid internships offer valuable experience for young professionals just starting out in the workforce, but such internships exploit students or young professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds. On the contrary, if a company offers payment in exchange for your time, this will definitely motivate you to give your best. Even though paid internships may provide some benefits for a young professional it is also important to consider how much value you get from the experience. Hence, this type of choice should be made with care and consideration. In that case, we recommend doing some research. Read Finding Success in a New Job: 9 Key Ways

Internships are a great way to familiarize yourself with a target industry. Most jobs these days require some form of experience relevant to their sector. Internships are an effective way to get this experience and hone industry-related skills. But should you jump into any internships? Or should you carefully choose based on your interest? Should it be paid or unpaid? We will answer these all in this article. Why should you choose an internship? Let's understand why you need an internship in the first place. The current global job market is booming with eligible candidates. There are often hundreds or more applicants for a single job. The situation is even more critical for the freshers. Read How to improve your productivity and efficiency at Work? While many people think that good grades are the only deciding factor in landing a prestigious job, the reality is often far from it. Employers look for skilled employees. And that’s exactly what an internship is designed to be, to train you with the necessary skills. An internship basically gives you a competitive advantage and sets you apart from the rest. But people often make the mistake of jumping into any internship they get. If you are majoring in data science and plan to stick to your major as a career, there is no point in pursuing an internship in HR. This might look good on your CV but won't add any value whatsoever as it's not related to your sector. Read: Best Ways to Lead Effective Team Meetings What to consider while taking an Internship? Now let's look at some of the other factors you should consider before choosing an internship. Understanding your responsibilities There are multiple job roles within the same sector. Just because you are doing an internship in line with your major doesn’t mean it will add value. Carefully read the job description before applying for an internship. In your CV, you can mention the responsibilities you carried out during the internship. So, the responsibilities need to reflect and align with your future career choices. Paid vs Non paid Many employers think of an internship as a training phase and often don’t include any remuneration scheme. However, you are still adding value to your employer with your regard, even if it comes in the form of training. We personally suggest you choose paid internships over non-paid ones. Because at the end of the day, you are still an employee even as an intern. Usually, most companies pay significantly less than the industry standard owning to internship and contractual employment. However, it's still better than working without payment. check for clear outlines regarding payment or you can politely ask about it at the end of your internship interview. Read Earn Money Online: Best ways for Students to generate income during pandemic Location The location also plays an important factor when it comes to choosing internships. If the company is located in a new city or country, both the scopes and challenges can be immense. There aren’t many foreign internships available in Bangladesh. However, some internships might require you to travel to remote places as part of the job responsibilities. As a result, you should carefully consider whether the location and time spent on commuting are worth the compensation, be it monetary or experience. Due to Covid-19, many sectors are offering virtual internships. This can be a great opportunity to gain some experience from the comfort of your home. Read: Pandemic, Remote Working & Procrastination: How to avoid procrastination when working from home? Networking opportunities Internships aren’t full-time jobs. They are more like an insight on how full-time jobs are and what is expected from you in your industry. Internships are a great opportunity to network with your potential employer as well. You will also get to interact with other interns who are in the relevant field as you. Having good networking will help you advance in your professional career as well. So, it's important to check what kind of networking opportunities will you be getting from your internships. You can read more about professional networking in our comprehensive blog here. Mentorship Opportunities Internships are all about learning new skills. However, there are internships out there that will only pile you up with paperwork with no real skill development opportunities. You should stay clear from such internships. Internships are meant for learning new skills relevant to your sector. As a result, you should look for internships that will give you hands-on experience and opportunities to learn beyond paperwork. Read Leader Vs Boss: Know the Differences Testing out your skills Internships aren’t about learning new skills alone. They should also provide you with an opportunity to put your learning and existing skills into effect. You should be able to test out your skills and reflect on your performance. A cohesive work environment can be a great addition in this regard. Your supervisor should be willing to let you work on your elements and oversee the performance for meaningful feedback. You should think of this as a test drive of your potential career choice. It's more like a trial-and-error run to check whether your preferred career choice is suitable for you in the long run or not. Read What makes a Great Manager: Know the Qualities and Skills Work on projects that matter Even though it's an internship and your employment is for a short time, you should aim for internships that let you have a meaningful impact. There are instances where interns are subjected to the paperwork of the company. But that doesn’t add any real value to your resume and skills. However, if you can work on definitive projects, it will not only help you hone your skills but also give you the opportunity to gather new experiences. Thus, an internship can be beneficial to your career course. Read: Earn Money Online: Best ways for Students to generate income during pandemic Bottom Line Internships can be effective ways to grab employment opportunities in the fast-tracked corporate world. Many companies don’t have the adequate means to train fresh graduates. As a result, it becomes easier for them if they hire candidates with internship experience. It also gives the candidate clear ideas about real-life work experience. However, there are a lot of aspects to consider before taking up an internship. We hope this article will help you in that regard.