Everything you want to know about your internship!
What it‘s all about
The ECC Internship Program pairs you with employers related to your CTE pathway. With a mentor’s guidance, you will do authentic, hands-on work over the course of a semester. At the same time, you can earn college credit in the WEOC 99 Internship Course at Santa Rosa Junior College. In the semester prior to the internship, you can also participate in Counseling 6 and earn an additional 3 credits. You may choose to take Counseling 270, as well, to earn .5 credits and be eligible for early registration at SRJC the next semester.
What’s the time commitment?
It depends on both employer availability and how many college credits you want to earn.
75 hours = 1 credit
150 hours = 2 credits
You could do your internship in one semester, spread it over a whole year, or even do it in the summer. If you choose to take Counseling 6, figure you will spend about 6 hours/week on your school work.
Do I get paid?
Ideally, yes! It’s possible to do a volunteer internship, but the program’s goal is to find paid positions whenever possible. You would be making at least minimum wage.
What if I don’t like the internship you get for me?
The program coordinators will make every effort to find a placement you’ll like. Sometimes a job may not be the exact fit you were hoping for, but remember, there are skills and tools you can learn that transfer from one job to another. For example, say you want to be a nurse, and you are given an internship in a dentist’s office. Even if you don’t love dentistry, the things you learn working there – patient care, sanitation and safety procedures, listening to a patient’s needs, etc. – will all help you become a good nurse down the road. They are transferable skills.
About the College Courses
The SRJC Internship Class
For the 99 Internship, all course work is done asynchronously. You will be assigned a JC instructor who will check in with you and give you a few assignments over the course of the semester: creating goals to work on, writing a resume, etc. With the help of your mentor, you will also come up with a project to do at work. Good projects benefit the workplace and develop your technical skills at the same time.
The SRJC Counseling Classes
Counseling 6 is “Intro to Career Development.” You could take it asynchronously in the fall semester. It covers topics like interest and personality testing, career information, research skills, decision making, and goal setting. You can earn 3 college credits in this class.
Counseling 270 is an “Intro to College” class that teaches you about programs, services, policies, degrees, etc. at SRJC. This is a super short class (already required at some schools) that will earn you a half a credit and give you priority registration for classes at the JC the following semester.