Throughout their high school years, students are occupied by the academic rigor of classes and the extracurricular activities requirements in school. However, college life and your future career are beyond the GPA you have and the clubs you are in, but are about what professional experience you have had throughout the years. If you are in high school, chances are you don’t know what you want to do as a career in the future. Academics and extracurricular activities can partially help you identify what career field you want to be in, but having an internship/externship under your belt is very beneficial. High school internships are for you to explore your interests in various career fields and have a taste of what your future job position is like.
What will be covered in the article?
1. What is an internship/externship?
- Receive hands-on experience working in real-world environments
- Explore potential career and position options
- Receive mentorships and networking opportunities with working professionals in the field
- Internships can be added to student’s resumes
- Be compensated fairly for their work
- Explore potential career paths and position options
- Assess the fit for a position or an organization through job shadowing
- Externships can be added to a student’s resume
- Receive mentorships and networking opportunities with working professionals in the field
Internships | Externships |
Gain skills and experience | Get an overview of a career |
Work with a team | Observe a workplace |
Semester or summer program | Short-term (days or weeks) experience |
May or may not be credit-bearing | Typically not for credit |
May or may not a paid internship | Usually unpaid |
2. How do you find internships/externships?
- Your High School
- Your Network
- Search online or offline