Real-life work experiences are available for students through NIU’s Cooperative Education Program.

Doug Davis, acting associate director of Cooperative Education, said, “The program is designed to give students practical work experience in their major field of study before graduation.”

Approximately 1,500 students are enrolled in the program and between 800 to 900 are “out in the field,” Davis said.

Students can participate in co-op assignments or internships through the program. Davis said co-ops are multiple-work experiences that are paid positions. Internships are one-time experiences that might or might not be paid.

Sometimes, the co-ops or internships can give students academic credit if students negotiate with their department, Davis said.

Interested students can fill out an application and attend an orientation meeting, he said. Students will be scheduled to meet with a counselor.

Davis said benefits include earning money and/or academic credit.”Seventy percent of the students who go through this program get job offers from the companies they work with.”

A national survey determined that co-op students start with higher salaries and are promoted faster than non co-op students, he said.

Jesse Taylor, a senior finance major, said he received an internship through the help of Cooperative Education and the finance department.

Taylor said his internship was with Harris Trust and Savings Bank during the summer of 1989 for 12 weeks. He said he received $400 per week as well as six hours of academic credit from NIU.

“I was assigned my own project for the entire summer. I had a valuable experience with a good company. It was a good experience to have,” Taylor said.

“For one thing, I got the opportunity to see what the real world is like and interact with people in the work environment. I developed practical and interpersonal skills,” he said.

A senior electrical engineering major, Jerry Nelligan, interned with A. B. Dick Company from August through Jan. 12.

Although he said he did not receive academic credit for his internship, the experience is listed on his transcript. He said he was paid $11.90 per hour.

“I was allowed to save money and I learned an incredible amount. I got to work on very expensive projects,” Nelligan said.

“The most important thing was that there are so many little things that you learn on your first real job that you would never learn from school. You learn a lot of little things that you can use for your next job,” he said.

Nelligan took two night classes and worked full time last semester. He is still working part time for the company.