Experiential Ed Glossary
Co-ops, Internships and Other Work Experiences in School

by Peter Vogt

MonsterTRAK Career Coach

If you're looking for ways to pick up work experience in your field of interest while you're still in college, give yourself a huge pat on the back -- you'll be light-years ahead of your peers who don't bother. Today's employers want candidates with relevant work experience -- even for entry-level jobs.

Working while in college is sometimes called "experiential education." But exploring job options can be pretty confusing if you don't understand what terms like "co-op," "internship," "externship" and "shadowing" really mean.

Most schools don't teach this stuff, so here's a MonsterTRAK crash course on the basics of experiential education and what's in it for you.

Co-ops

On the way to getting field-related work experience as a student, the co-op is the one that has the best view. And it may offer the greatest reward when the trip is over.

For starters, co-ops are almost always paid, so you won't have to work for free. Just as important, co-ops are highly structured, full-time jobs to which you can devote yourself fully, because you won't be taking any courses at school during the experience, though you are still a student at your school.

You'll be compensated -- and not just financially -- to be fully engaged in a meaningful job in your field of interest for six months or even longer. Perform well for your co-op employer, and there's a good chance you'll end up landing a permanent offer.

Internships

An internship is similar to a co-op in that it gives you an opportunity to gain significant hands-on experience in a field of interest. But there are several important differences:

• While some internships are paid, many are not.
• Internships are often for shorter periods of time -- the three months of summer, for instance -- and focus more on one or two specific projects versus the more comprehensive work of the typical co-op assignment.
• Unlike a co-op, an internship won't pull you out of your courses while you're completing the experience. Most students who are doing internships do have to take their regular class load as well.

An internship is a fine experiential alternative to pursue, particularly if your school doesn't offer a co-op program or you can't take the time for a co-op assignment. You'll get some great experience, you'll learn new skills and, like your co-op counterparts, you too might end up with a permanent job in the end.

Externships

An externship is as much about career exploration as it is about gaining hands-on experience. Schools with externship programs give participating students the chance to take a quick look at a field or company of interest by tagging along with a professional in that field or company for several days.

If you're lucky, you may get to play a small role in completing a real project during your externship -- a nice bullet item or two for your resume. But even if you spend most of your time observing, your externship will teach you about a career or an organization the way no textbook ever could.

Shadowing

Shadowing is almost the same as participating in an externship, but with two key differences:

• A shadowing experience is usually even shorter, just a few hours or perhaps a full eight-hour day.
• Externships tend to be available through established, formal externship programs developed by your school's career center. A shadowing experience is something you may have to set up on your own, perhaps with help from a campus career counselor.

Those are the experiential education basics. Take your new knowledge and use it to complete at least one experiential activity before you graduate -- or more, if possible. The more experience you accumulate, the more you'll know and the higher your value will be to future employers.

© 2008 MonsterTRAK