Internships are not just for young, inexperienced recent college graduates anymore. As the nation’s unemployed search for jobs, many are going to work for little to no pay as interns. Internships provide the unemployed, underemployed and recent graduates with an opportunity to network, gain experience, keep their skills updated, learn new skills and enhance their career options.

Recent college graduates have traditionally taken on internships as a means of gathering hands-on experience in order to be qualified for full-time employment in their field. For mid-career professionals and especially those looking to switch careers, internships provide the same opportunity. Internships are designed to help people acquire new skills and knowledge of their industry, as well as demonstrate and strengthen the skills and knowledge they already possess. Every successful project completed during an internship is just as valuable to a professional as a project accomplished in a full-time position.

Internships provide the ideal opportunity for professionals to look before they leap. The anxiety often associated with switching careers is eased as interns work for a pre-determined amount of time. After that time is over, the intern can choose not to seek a similar position or the first-hand experience can lay the foundation for a future career change.

Internships are available in most businesses, even small, locally-owned companies. If a business does not advertise internships, it doesn’t hurt to ask for one. Send an email with your resume and a cover letter attached. Explain what you are looking to gain and what skills you can bring to the internship. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a company that won’t hire a qualified professional for low or no pay.

Since most interns do not work a typical 40-hour work week, schedules tend to vary and can be very flexible. Especially when working unpaid, interns can often come and go as they please, allowing them plenty of time to job search and go on interviews. Also, most internships involve a predetermined amount of time, like three months or six weeks, so employers know before an intern starts working that she will want a professional recommendation or lead on a full-time job by the end of the internship. Employers will likely extend those courtesies to professionals working as interns between full-time gigs, as well. Employers usually are aware of their non-traditional interns’ long-term goals and want them to succeed in their careers.

It’s commonplace during an interview for an employer to ask a job candidate how he spent his time between jobs or since his last position. What the employer really wants to know is if he was productive with his time. By completing an internship, the job candidate demonstrates an active, engaged attitude and continued involvement with his career.

If nothing else, signing up for an internship while looking for full-time employment can erase feelings of depression, discouragement and hopelessness. Rather than spending countless days draped in pajamas, interns are out of the house and in social business networking situations.