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Co-op
Internship
Part-time/Summer
Externship
Volunteer
Service and Leadership
Academic Departments
Where (on-campus
resources)
Making It a Success
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Why seek career-related experience?There are many advantages to gaining this experience prior to graduation, including opportunities to
When is the best time to seek career-related experience?Your sophomore or junior year is an ideal time for securing a Co-op, internship or part-time job. Freshmen are encouraged to seriously consider doing an externship, which will broaden their knowledge of career fields. Some students wait until after graduation and use their first year out of college to gain substantive career-related work experience. In any event, you should begin to investigate possibilities at least a semester in advance of when you would like to begin work. How can I gain career-related experience?Cooperative Education - A structured program through which students who meet eligibility requirements gain paid, professional-level work experience. A minimum of 12 weeks with the same organization is required; both part-time and full-time work schedules are available. Current Co-op opportunities are listed on PatriotJobWeb. Internships - Work experiences, often project oriented, that provide students with practical knowledge and firsthand experience in a particular field or area of study. Some internships are paid. Some internships can be credit-bearing. A student needs to contact his or her academic department in advance to arrange for academic credit. Current paid and unpaid internship opportunities are listed on PatriotJobWeb. Part-time/Summer Jobs - Paid jobs that may involve significant career-related tasks or may be peripherally related to career areas but allow students to get a "flavor" of a particular kind of organization or occupation. Visit PatriotJobWeb for current openings. Externship - A "shadowing" experience usually lasting one to five days in which a student gets to observe what a professional does in a particular career field and organization. Names of George Mason University alumni and friends who have volunteered to be externship sponsors are available through Career Network. Volunteering - Unpaid experiences sought to gain practical experience in a field, to make contacts, and to provide service to the community. Service and Leadership - Active participation in a campus organization can enhance skills and provide excellent experience. The Center for Service and Leadership provides "hands on" leadership initiatives for students. In addition, students may participate in service-oriented experiences to meet community needs, through the Center, while developing critical thinking skills. Academic Departments: Many academic departments also have information about internships and other experiential learning opportunities that are available to their students. The list below tells you how you can find out about the internships these departments have as well as other university departments. If your department is not listed, you may contact it directly.
Where can I go at Mason to find out about career-related experience opportunities?
Making it a Success: How do I get the greatest benefit from my experience?
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