Career Related Experience
Seeking Career Related Experience?
There are a variety of ways - paid and unpaid as well as for credit and not for credit - that will let you gain critical career related experience long before you enter a field. These experiences let you:
- Confirm your interest in a particular career field - did what you expect match reality?
- Develop the skills you need to be hired into the field and to advance
- Make connections that become part of your
professional network
You may gain your career related experience through hands-on, on the job options like part-time or full-time work. It may come with academic credit if your curriculum allows for
internships for credit.
Remember that quality experience does not always come with a pay check attached or with the option to earn academic credit. You may develop marketable skills as a result of pursuing your interests, volunteer opportunities, or engaging in campus activities.
You can then communicate your career-related experience to a prospective employer by way of your
cover letter and
resume. Perhaps you learned about this prospective employer through one of the connections you made as you pursued your career related experience.
