Career Exploration and Development

Maximize Your Summer: Internships and Jobs Guide

Welcome to Career Exploration and Development's guide on summer internships and jobs. Whether you're looking to gain hands-on experience in your field of study or seeking a paid summer job to support your educational journey, we've got you covered. Internships provide invaluable opportunities to explore career paths, develop new skills, and build a professional network, while summer jobs offer practical work experience and financial benefits. Read on to discover the differences between these opportunities, learn about funding options, and find tips for making the most of your summer experiences.


Understanding Internships and Summer Jobs

Internships are valuable experiential learning opportunities within a workplace, providing time-limited exposure to a professional field. They can last from a few weeks to a full year and are designed to help you gain practical experience, assist full-time employees, and learn about a specific career path. Internships can be either paid or unpaid and are typically related to your major or career interests.

Summer jobs, on the other hand, are always paid and offer practical work experience. They don't necessarily need to be connected to your major or future career goals.

Internships offer a dynamic opportunity to apply your liberal arts skills in real-world settings. As a form of experiential learning, internships immerse you in a career of interest through hands-on experience. While akin to summer or part-time jobs, internships distinguish themselves by their substantial focus on learning and professional growth. They provide a platform to:

  • Identify and Explore Career Paths: Gain firsthand insights into various career areas.
  • Acquire New Skills: Develop practical skills relevant to your field of interest.
  • Enhance Your Resume: Build a robust professional profile.
  • Expand Your Network: Establish connections with industry professionals.

Career Exploration and Development encourages all Oberlin students to complete at least one internship during their academic journey. Internships are integral to preparing for successful careers and personal growth. Research consistently shows that students who complete internships are more marketable to employers and have higher employment rates post-graduation.

 

While internships provide valuable experience, many—especially in certain fields—are unpaid. For students who cannot afford to work for free, the Career Exploration and Development (CED) offers limited, need-based funding. These funds, made possible through the generosity of Oberlin alumni and grants awarded to the college, can help support the expenses associated with an unpaid internship. More details about eligibility and the application process can be found in the  Summer Experience Funding section of the website. Due to the competitive nature of this funding, it's important to plan your summer early. 

If you’re not eligible for funding, gaining internship experience is still possible. Consider finding a part-time job or one with flexible hours, allowing you to work a few hours each week at an internship.

Oberlin's Internship+ Program For Third Year Obies

If you are a third year Obie, the Internship+ program enables students to explore career interests, gain real-world experience, and develop a professional network. It ensures all students can access enriching experiences regardless of their background. The program offers third-year students up to $5,000 to offset costs and expenses associated with an unpaid or low-paid internships, research, or other pre-professional summer experiences.

Diverse Internship Opportunities

Internships offer a wide array of experiences, catering to different preferences and career goals. They can vary in terms of duration, compensation, and focus:

  • Full-time or Part-time: Internships can be structured to accommodate various schedules.
  • Paid or Unpaid: Compensation models vary based on the internship provider.
Types of Internships:
  • Rotational: Involves short-term assignments across different departments or areas of practice, providing a comprehensive view of organizational functions.
  • Project-based: Focuses on specific projects that offer hands-on experience and often involve tackling high-priority tasks that supervisors have envisioned but not yet pursued.
  • Partner- or Team-oriented: Collaborative projects where interns work together, fostering synergy and enhancing the learning experience. This approach often results in effective self-supervision and amplified project outcomes.

These diverse internship formats enable students to gain valuable skills, explore career interests, and contribute meaningfully to their chosen field.

What Makes a Great Internship?

A great internship blends observation and active participation, ensuring a balanced and intentional learning experience. Well-planned and thought-out from the outset, these internships prioritize meaningful tasks over ad hoc assignments. Supervisors commit to a structured learning agreement with clear goals, measurable outcomes, and regular progress assessments.

What Great Interns Do

Great interns proactively seek out learning opportunities beyond their immediate responsibilities, demonstrating initiative and adaptability. They propose projects when they seek greater challenges and aren’t hesitant to ask questions or seek guidance when needed.

What Great Supervisors Do

Great supervisors design internships with a mix of short-term projects with defined deadlines and longer-term projects for sustained focus. They create comprehensive action plans encompassing orientation, training, supervision, mentoring, and performance reviews. They integrate interns into professional networks, explore unconventional learning avenues like staff meetings or conferences, and facilitate shadowing experiences with professionals in various organizational settings.

Internships are typically pursued during the summer, when students have extended periods available for full-time engagement. However, opportunities also exist for part-time internships during the semester. Winter Term is particularly popular for internships, with Career Exploration and Development facilitating diverse and engaging opportunities nationwide. Students across all class years are encouraged to explore Winter Term internships for valuable experiential learning. For more information, visit our Winter Term Internships page.