Students interested in obtaining practical job experience should consider the NIU cooperative education office located in the Holmes Student Center.

According to Acting Associate Director Douglas Davis, employers are looking for students who have prior experience. “Cooperative education is an excellent way for a student to gain experience in their major field. Where else can a student get that experience?” Davis said.

There are over 2,000 positions listed at the cooprative education office, representing over 1,500 companies. All majors are represented, although some academic departments also may carry their own listings.

Davis added that most of the jobs offered through the office are paid positions.

There are two types of positions available, according to Davis. “Co-op positions are multiple work experiences directly related to a student’s academic major. A co-op position can be either alternating, where a student works for a semester then goes to school, or parallel, where a student works while attending school,” Davis said. All of these are paid positions.

The other type of position available is an internship. This is a one-time work experience which may or may not be a paid position, Davis said.

Most of the available jobs are located in the Chicagoland area and suburbs, since most NIU students are from that area, he said. However, the co-op office does have positions available throughout the country, as well as some overseas jobs.

To be eligible for the cooperative education program, a student must have at least a 2.0 GPA, be of sophomore standing and have a declared major, Davis said.

To sign up for the co-op program, students are required to attend an orientation session. Orientation sessions will be held today and Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. At the session they will make an appointment to see the co-op coordinator for their major.

The NIU co-op office, currently in its sixth year, is one of the largest in the country. There are approximately 900 students enrolled in the program.

The benefits of the co-op program are apparent when the statistics are considered. “About seventy percent of students get a job offer after graduation from firms they intern for. These offers are typically at a higher salary, along with a faster promotion track,” Davis said.

For more information on the orientation program, stop by the co-op office, located in HSC room 224 or call 753-7138.