Holy dancing donkey legs, I’m excited. As we wind down the latter half of the fall semester, I’m sure you’re like me: salivating for the days of turkey coma and molasses cookies. The spring semester is far, far away, and the summer’s just a shiny orb in the distance.

But, now’s the time that you need to start considering (and noodling around the interwebs) for internship opportunities. Before you know it, next summer will be upon you like a sea lion on an unsuspecting penguin, and you’ll be working out your workweek schedule with Ruby Tuesday.

But let me tell you something: employers don’t care about your short-order cooking experience. Server skills don’t necessarily translate to your ability to practice good customer service. And “refilling drinks” is about as much of a resume filler as babysitting the neighborhood rugrats.

Internships are an exceptional way to bulk up your resume and build experience—and many of them pay. If the economy stays this tight over the next three to four years (as we all suspect), you’ll want every competitive advantage. And internships are the perfect advantage, as many companies hire first from their interns for full-time gigs.

Think about it: you’re no longer just a piece of paper—you’re an on-the-job demonstration, and companies would far prefer to hire a tried-and-true intern than someone who’s got suma cum laude plastered all over their resume.

So in between your drumsticks and mashed potatoes this holiday season, crank up the ol’ laptop and strap on your Google goggles. You’ll find there are a lot of internships out there to pick from, and one of them has your name all over it.

Here are a few places to begin:

Internship Programs

Idealist.Org

Summer Internships

Tags: college, experience, internships, jobs, spring semester, university