Benefits of doing a co-op or internship:
Is one better than the other? |
| Benefits
of co-ops and internships | Is
one better than the other? |
|
|
| What are the benefits
of co-oping or interning? |
| • |
Employers want to hire
graduating students who have career-related work experience during
college. The experience you get might not be perfectly related to
your major, and it might not be experience in your absolute first
choice of career paths. It does need to be experience that exposes
you to professionalism, and lets you see how skills and ideas are
applied in the real world. |
| • |
Co-op and internship experience
makes you more mature, more professionally polished and teaches you
things beyond what you can learn in the classroom. You'll appreciate
your education more as a result, and you're likely to perform better
academically after having worked. |
| • |
Looking for experience during
college helps you learn essential job
search skills so that you'll be better prepared for the job search
when you graduate. |
|
|
| Is it better to
do a co-op or internship? |
| You need to consider several
factors: |
| • |
Co-ops generally involve
getting more experience through multiple work terms, while internships
are usually a one-term arrangement. However, see terminology
because not everyone defines co-ops and internships the same way!
Returning to the same employer for three or more work terms has
real advantages in giving you workplace maturity and perspective.
Ask anyone who's done it. |
| • |
What's the norm in your
career field? Co-ops are commonly offered in some fields (engineering,
computer science), while internships are the norm in other fields
(media, broadcasting, business, human services). You need to see
what's available in your field and compare the options. If a large
percentage of students in your major do co-ops, and you don't, make
sure you do at least two internships, or get other experience that
has similar prestige. To see what kinds of experience students get,
see the Post-Graduation
Report, look at your college, and see "types of career-related
experience" those students accumulated before graduation. |
| • |
Consider how a co-op or
internship will fit into your academic schedule. The semesters you
can work are often dictated by when courses are offered in your
major. Your advisor in your academic department or your co-op
/ internship advisor in Career Services can give you information
about this. |
| • |
DON'T skip doing a co-op
because you're in a rush to graduate. You're going to be out of college
for most of your life. If you graduate with less experience than your
peers, your job search may be tougher and you might regret it. |
| • |
Consider the quality of
the employer's program and the nature of the work. An excellent internship
program could be a better choice than a co-op position that doesn't
appear to be challenging. |
| • |
If you are comparing two
job offers, get advice from your
advisor in your academic department and your co-op / internship
advisor in Career Services. |
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