In the Fast Lane: Boosting Your Career Through Cooperative Education and Internships

By Amanda Martinez
Just because you’re still in school doesn’t mean you can’t jumpstart your career. As you enter college, there are plenty of things you can do to propel yourself into a promising future—including cooperative education and internships.

Geared toward high school and college students, co-op and internship work programs provide unbeatable opportunities to develop your interests and test-drive your skills. Learning the basics is the first step in creating your roadmap to success.
The Scoop on Co-ops
Co-op programs have been around for about a century. Over the years, the usefulness and demand for co-op opportunities has grown so much that programs are offered through many colleges and universities from coast to coast, as well as abroad.
Today, co-op usually refers to a learning relationship between a student, school, and employer. In these programs, both school and employer monitor and evaluate a student’s progress at a job that’s related to his or her area of study. Co-op can be done for academic credit (or not) and is often salaried—sometimes quite well. In fact, some students have been known to earn up to $15,000 a year!
According to the National Commission for Cooperative Education, the most common type of co-op program involves an alternating work schedule, in which a student rotates semesters spent taking classes full-time at a college or university with semesters working full-time in the “real world.”
Another co-op option is the parallel pattern, in which students spend part of the day taking classes and the rest of the day working. Either way, most co-op programs are structured to allow students to graduate in four to five years, all the while reaping the benefits of class and valuable work experiences.
Who participates in co-op programs? According to a 2002 survey by the Cooperative Education and Internship Association, over 240,000 undergraduate students work co-op jobs in the United States each year. These students work with one of approximately 50,000 U.S. employers. Among these diverse employers are Harley-Davidson, Gillette, Johnson & Johnson, and PeopleSoft, as well as many other prestigious Fortune 500 companies.
Info on Internships
Internships have many things in common with co-op programs: students work at a company for a set period of time in order to gain experience for their future career, both programs can be done for credit or not, and there are an impressive variety of companies offering internship programs. Like co-op, for-credit internships are monitored by the student’s college or university. In order to pass, employer evaluations are common—as is homework! Students often must write a paper, keep a journal, or maintain some other similar record of their learning experiences on the job.
There are, however, some differences between internship and co-op programs. For instance, while internships are sometimes required or recommended as part of a degree program, there is no standard schedule for alternating terms of work and class like in co-op: students generally do internships whenever they want to.
Internships also range in duration—some run for as little as a week or two, while others go for as long as a summer or a semester. Plus, internships all require a different number of hours each week—some are full-time, others part-time—which means they tend to be flexible and convenient for a student’s busy schedule.
Pay varies as well. Many internships are unpaid, but some offer a stipend or a modest hourly wage. Unpaid programs usually require that you seek academic credit for your work, but if you’re more interested in cash than course credit, keep your eyes open for paid opportunities—there are plenty out there.
Because so many internship opportunities are available, it can sometimes be difficult to zero in on the right one. About.com’s Career Planning Center recommends that you do some background research on your prospective internship sites to get a feel for the setting. Also, try to get in touch with past interns to see how they felt about their experiences.
As with any job search, be sure you know what you’re signing up for. Carefully check the job description, duties, and required skills. (If making coffee for everyone in the office isn’t your cup of tea, you may want to stay away!) Keep in mind, too, that some internships have age restrictions—for example, you might have to be at least a sophomore or junior in college—while others are open to a variety of age groups, including high school students.
Above all, remember that you can—and should—do more than one internship during your undergraduate experience. Take full advantage of any opportunities that sound interesting.
Rev Your Engine
Any way you look at it, the benefits of co-op and internships to your career are priceless. Both types of programs give you the chance to:

• Earn some money while earning your degree
• Apply what you’ve learned in the classroom to the “real world” and vice versa
• Gain a wide range of professional skills
• Build your resumé for your post-college job search, distinguishing you from other candidates—something that is increasingly important in the competitive work world
• Make contact with professionals in your field of interest, which can lead to mentors and (if you’re lucky!) possible job opportunities down the road
• See what it’s like to work in a company—for example, get a sense for the workday schedule, coworkers, expectations, challenges, and rewards
• Help you make sure that the career you’re interested in is actually what you want to do.

Whether you decide to pursue opportunities in cooperative education or an internship, you’re sure to gain the skills, contacts, and experiences you need to put your career in the fast lane. So rev your engine and buckle up—now you’re on the road to success!
Article courtesy of careersandcolleges.com