The Career Center at Santa Clara University

Students » Internships » Internships vs. Jobs

What Constitutes an Internship

We welcome internships which emphasize intentional learning and professional development for students in their discipline. Knowing how to differentiate an internship from a part-time job is a critical skill that helps you to ensure that you will receive a quality learning experience with measurable outcomes. These outcomes become the professional competencies that add value to your skill set when you apply for the next position. The following guidelines outline our expectations for internships:

What is an Internship?

Internships are meaningful learning experiences that engage students in the process of thinking and performing as professionals. Internships are opportunities for professional development, achieving technical skills, and mastering a professional knowledge base.They are planned, structured, supervised experiences that enable students to develop skills for organizing information and solving routine problems as is expected of practicing professionals in their discipline. Communication, teamwork, and leadership skills are tested and honed within an employment setting. Interns are supervised by a professional (trained in the same discipline as the internship) who routinely use a professional level of knowledge, skills, and judgment.
How Do Internships and Co-ops Differ from Jobs?

Internship experiences differ from jobs primarily in the emphasis on learning and professional development. Internships give students a chance to learn something useful for their career instead of simply doing “busy work.” While every job has its share of tedious work, it is not appropriate for an intern to be assigned to routine tasks (clerical work, data entry, telephone calling) for more than 20% of the time. While this may meet an employer’s staffing needs, it does not foster the level of professional training that is expected of an internship or co-op experience.