The Benefits of Internships, Externships, and Work-Study
In today's competitive job market, it is important to make as many professional contacts as possible and get your foot in the door early. Internships, externships, and work-study all provide you with this opportunity. While internships and externships will place you at the forefront of potential careers, work-study will enhance your resume and enable you to work towards your degree.
The following series of articles explain exactly what externships, internships, and work-study are while going over the benefits of these three unique work opportunities.
The Benefits of Internships
Internships are temporary work positions, usually taken on by students while they are enrolled in a college degree program. These work positions are a unique form of employment because they provide individuals with the opportunity to learn through hands-on experience. It is not uncommon, therefore, for college students, aspiring college students and recent college graduates to take on internship positions in order to achieve full-time employment in a specific field.
There are a wide variety of internship options available to students: full-time, part-time, paid, unpaid, stipend-based, for-credit, volunteer, etc. In general, for technical fields such as science, engineering, or business, internships are paid. Internships can be obtained through numerous organizations that are looking to benefit from low-cost and easily trainable students who may one day enter as specialized full-time employees. The typical length of an internship ranges from a few months to a year. This provides students with an opportunity to develop their work skills, improve their resume qualifications, and create networking contacts. Here is a list of benefits internships can provide:
1. They allow an individual to learn more about a chosen field.2. They enable a student to apply classroom theory to real work situations.
3. They teach you career-related skills.
4. They strengthen your written and oral skills.
5. They strongly enhance your resume.
6. They introduce you to career professionals to network with.
Conversely, keep in mind that most internships are unpaid and the work is not always stimulating. Interns are usually at the bottom of the ladder and are treated as such. Despite this, internships will help you get your foot in the door of any professional career. You will make business contacts through your work and gain valuable career experience. Here are a few job boards that feature internships to get you started in the right direction, however, it is an excellent idea to talk to the career center at your university. The individuals working in these places will be able to point you in the right direction.
College RecruiterThis site specifically features entry-level jobs and internships. It includes all 50 states.
Internship Finder
Internship Finder has a variety internships featured. You can search by job title or city.
Person Force
Person Force has a lot of excellent internships listed. You can sort by company, title, and city.
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Back to the TopThe Benefits of Externships
An externship is a method of experienced-based learning that focuses on giving students practical work experience in their concentration. This can take the form of simply pairing up with a mentor on-site or shadowing professionals working in their environment.
Typically, an externship runs anywhere from a day to a couple weeks, and the participant is usually treated as a volunteer with no pay and no credit received. Oftentimes, the meetings occur during breaks between classes and work, serving as a quick way to learn more about a profession prior to returning to class. Information on externships can usually be obtained from the career planning departments of schools. Externships are similar to internships in that they prepare students for entering the professional, working environment upon graduating from school. Here are a few benefits of externships:
1. You learn more about a job or occupation.2. You understand the day-to-day activities of professionals.
3. You expand your network of professional contacts.
4. You get your questions answered by professionals.
5. There is not time commitment.
Externships are an excellent idea for anybody who is considering a career but is unsure about it. Not only do you get to talk to actual professionals within the career, but you get to experience the day-to-day life of said professionals. Further, unlike internships, you do not have to commit to an extended period of time. Talk to your alumni office to get in touch with people in the field you would like to externship within.
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Back to the TopThe Benefits of Work-Study Programs
Cooperative education, sometimes referred to as work-study, is a model of structured learning that mixes academic education with practical work experience. Advocates of work study programs believe that students perform best when they actively participate in their education, and learn the most when they can apply their school lessons within a real-world context.
Today, employers prefer that graduates have at least some work experience prior to graduation. Pursuing a work study program is an excellent way for students to differentiate themselves from other applicants by demonstrating applied knowledge, career experience, and commitment to a particular field. Students participating in a work study position are preferred over those with internship or externship experience. This is due to the fact that the level of complexity for co-op tasks is viewed as being the most relevant for success in a career environment.
Work-study can also refer to federally funded work programs created for students as a means of financial assistance. These are typically part-time positions on-campus or through institutionally affiliated employers. Income, eligibility, wage, and hour restrictions apply to work-study positions; however, wages are subsidized by the government, providing an incentive for employers to become involved with work-study hires.
If you are interested in participating in a work-study program, make sure to first fill out the FAFSA , or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA is the first step to work-study placement. If the FAFSA does not place you in a work-study program, speak to your school. It is possible they will be able to work something out for you.
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