The experience of a college internship may be the extra knowledge you need when looking for a job after school.

“Work experience will make a person more desirable,â€Â said Aleta Wolfe, a career experience counselor on campus.

Internships help students connect to what jobs are out there, Wolfe said, and even though they are not required for all majors on campus, it is something all students should look into.

A college degree is not always enough, she said. Employers are looking for work experience, which sets students apart from the rest of new applicants.

“Internships are an experience students get to live and share that they wouldn’t otherwise encounter,â€Â Wolfe said.

Internships can be taken through independent study as a replacement for another class since it is not required for all majors. Wolfe said she believes internships should be required for every major because “the experience is invaluable.â€Â

Internships help students test out their field of work and see if they really enjoy the job, she said.

“A student might complete four to six years of college and then not even like their job after they graduate,â€Â Wolfe said. “It’s a chance for them to test their choice and make changes.â€Â

Internships are often converted into jobs after graduation, Wolfe said, and if they are not, it is an opportunity to build relationships and make network connections for future employment.

Cheryl Cardell, internship coordinator for Gottschalks, said that many of their summer interns are hired on part-time as they finish school and are then offered a full-time job after graduation.

Gottschalks hires five to eight interns each summer for a variety of positions including accounting, marketing, buying and merchandising. The internships last for 10 weeks and offer an experience in corporate business, Cardell said.

“We try and make the placement relevant to the student’s major,â€Â Cardell said. “The jobs fluctuate each summer.â€Â

Gottschalks works directly with Career Services on campus and the Craig School of Business to provide students with the opportunity of an internship.

Career Services helps students find internships in their field of interest to gain experience. They are the “middle peopleâ€Â Wolfe said, between the employers and students.

Chevron also works with Career Services to hire interns. They offer 80 positions in mechanical and electrical engineering, said Darrin Singleton, a Chevron representative. These interns are often hired on after graduation.

“Many of the offers that Chevron provides for full time employment are as a result of previous summer internships,â€Â he said.

Along with the connections Career Services offer, students can also apply for scholarships that reward students for community service work. The Community Service Scholarship Program is structured to connect to the students̢۪ major.

Recipients are required to work 150 hours with their agency and will receive 3 units of credit and a $1,500 scholarship after completion.

The Scholarship Service Grant Program also offers work experience and scholarship money to students who complete the required 60 hours of work, but is only available to financial aid students. Wolfe said that about 80 percent of students in this program are doing work in their major.

Jessica Ayala, a senior communications major, has been recognized by the California Internship and Work Experience Association for her contributions to the U.S. Forest Service.

Ayala had been interested in saving the forests since she was a little girl, and finally got the chance to put her passion to work.

The best part, she said, was learning her capabilities. She developed new skills that she felt she already possessed, but had never been given the chance to express.

“I encourage all students to search for an internship opportunity; I always ask my friends ‘what would you rather do, work for Starbucks throughout college, or do something way more significant?’â€Â Ayala said.

In these programs, the work can be done on or off campus. Wolfe said that 65 percent of the students in these programs are doing their work on campus.

She also suggests professors as a reliable resource for students for local internship opportunities.

Along with Career Services, there are many Web sites that offer assistance to students. Some can be found through the Career Services home page. The links are connected to outside resources that help employers contact students for summer and semester internships.

CollegeGrad.com recently listed the top 200 intern employers, with Walgreen̢۪s, General Electric, Target and Intel all making the top 10. The Web site predicts that in 2008, more than 46,000 interns will be hired throughout the nation.