Internships and Work-based Experiences

Participating in a work-based experience can give you the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience, build your resume and industry relationships, and create a foothold for your future.

Here are some of the types of work-based experiences:

Internships

An official program offered by an employer to potential employees. Interns work either part time or full time at a company or organization. The experience should be supervised and intentional, and serve to enhance a student's academic, career, and personal development.

Externships

Short-term experience with a working professional to observe and get a preview of the day-to-day activities—typically 40-120 hours.

Service Learning

Learning that actively involves students in a wide range of experiences that often benefit others and the community while advancing the goals of a given curriculum. Community-based service activities are paired with structured preparation and student reflection.

Job Shadowing

An educational opportunity to learn about a particular occupation or profession by listening to or talking with an experienced worker about their job or accompanying them as they perform their work. In job shadowing, a business typically partners with an educational establishment to provide this experience for the student so that they can get a feel for the type of work and the environment in which it takes place. Job shadowing experiences might include:

• Mentoring—An informal opportunity for a student to have scheduled meetings or exchanges with a professional in a particular field of interest to gain insight into their day-to-day work and learn how to best position themselves for a job in a respective field.
• Career/Informational Interview—An activity where a student seeks written or verbal information from an industry professional about their profession and daily activities on the job.
• Alumni Career Panels—Career Services programming in which alumni are invited to be part of a panel and share with current students their industry and occupation experience. Alumni can attend virtually, in person, or via video recording for future reference or assignments.
• Onsite Career Presenters—Career presentations that could be part of a recruitment event.
• Networking Events—Opportunity for employers and students to engage informally to learn about career opportunities in the community.