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There are several ways to gain experience such as part-time and full-time paid work or volunteer work. The sponsorship can be through co-operative education, casual employment, summer jobs, contract work, regular employment, work-study arrangements, internship, or volunteer positions. In addition to the job content knowledge you will gain, there are extra benefits including:
Referrals for future jobs through the network that you build
Knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of your work-related skills
The potential to demonstrate skills such as communication, analysis and problem-solving
Demonstration of your initiative and establishment of a track record for potential employers
The role of co-operative education is to provide you with the opportunity to have paid employment in positions that complement your academic program. Alternating work and study terms takes longer than the traditional method of study with a summer break. Co-op positions are full-time, usually for four months. The advantage for you is in having a formal structure through which you can try out different jobs to see what you like and are good at. With regular performance evaluations by your supervisors, you can acquire an employers perspective on how well you measure up to the quality of other people working in that position. By taking positions with increasing levels of responsibility, you will have a solid resume with which to approach the job market in the future. In addition to the knowledge and skills you will obtain, the process will help you clarify your thoughts about what you want from your ideal job.
While most people take casual employment part-time throughout the year to earn money, there are additional benefits. If you can get work in an environment you would like to check out, you will have a sense as to compatibility. For example, if you have factory assembly-line experience, you may want to try a fast food outlet to determine if you would prefer a more interactive environment with people, i.e., having customers constantly around you, expecting top quality products and services.
These categories usually are offered on a full-time basis, typically ranging from 25-40 hours a week. They are building blocks to lay the foundation for your career. Working in a diversity of settings will enable you to experience and observe many aspects of employment. Through experimentation you will come to know what you like and dont like, what youre good at and what areas you need to develop expertise in. These paid work experiences are especially helpful if you are in an academic program that is not specifically designed to prepare you for a particular profession. Employment experiences can provide you with the added benefits of gaining work-related skills that your future employers will be seeking. University of Waterloo students can check Career Services for job opportunities.
Within an academic environment, there may be positions funded by governments. These roles provide for up to 10 hours a week over the school term and help students finance their education. Carefully read the work-study notices. If the information is vague, phone the person who would be hiring for the position for more details. Work-study can be a good way to apply your knowledge in different settings. In addition to helping you clarify your career goals, work-study can provide you with excellent transferable skills. For further information on work-study at the University of Waterloo, contact the Student Awards office.
An internship gives you an opportunity to have a structured experience combining work and learning in a field you are considering for your career. The work may be paid or unpaid. It can be part-time during an academic term, a full-time block during the weeks between terms, full-time for an academic term or longer. In some cases, a professor from your faculty will oversee the work in conjunction with your employer so that appropriate academic credit can be given. Even if you succeed in obtaining an internship that will not result in academic credit, the experience is valuable in exploring career possibilities and gaining marketable work skills.
International Internship-
Volunteering allows you to investigate and gain many types of work experience. Some examples are: animal care, environmental preservation, health education, marketing, computer programming and management (e.g., by working on a volunteer Board of Directors). Anyone can volunteer in practically any organization. Look through the files and directories in Career Services and the on-campus volunteer centre. Two questions you need to answer for yourself are: what would you like to give to the community, and what would you like to get back in return?
Volunteering Example-
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Consider undertaking a special project as a course assignment. Rather than proceeding only through the theoretical perspective to obtain your grade, you could locate a group who could benefit from your work. Since they may not be able to look into a particular topic because of time or funding, you would be adding value to their organization while expanding your knowledge of the workplace by linking an academic exercise to a real-world application. |
To continue with the next section, Step 2.8.1, click here.
