Short-term jobs options offer students flexibility after graduation to explore different career interests and develop new skills. Short-term project-based internships (micro-based internships) do the same thing. Since these opportunities are short-term, they can be a great way to sharpen skills and gain experience that can be leveraged for future opportunities. Short-term can be as short as a few days for a micro-internship and range from 6 months to 1 – 2 years for short-term jobs.
For graduating seniors, post-graduate short-term jobs generally range from 1 – 2 years and can be with organizations with structured programs like AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or teaching English abroad. They can also include broader opportunities in the world of work that meet your specific career pursuits, such as gaining experience as a paralegal if you’re considering law or working in government if you’re interested in public policy.
As you think about short-term options, consider carefully the skills you want to develop and the competencies you want to practice (critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, exposure to different cultures, etc.). Think about an industry (media, healthcare, environment, etc.) that you want experience in, the professionals you want to meet, and location if it matters.
As an added plus, short-term opportunities will be a boost to your network of professional contacts and relationships.
There are numerous resources for gap year and short-term job opportunities. You can find more on the 24/7 Career Center in the Short-term Job Options Handout or in our recent “ Make the Most of Your Winter Break” article.
Here’s a short list of resources that might be helpful to you:
- AmeriCorps
- BackdoorJobs.com – provides various job channels, including Environmental / Outdoor Education
- Breakthrough Collaborative
- City Year
- Catchafire – unpaid, remote project-based work for non-profit organizations
- Emerson National Hunger Fellows Program
- Idealist.org – lists numerous resources paid and unpaid, searchable by industry, location, job type
- Math for America Fellowships – Boston, LA, NYC, San Diego, Utah, DC
- Mississippi Teacher Corps
- Partnership in Public Service – Public Service Internship Program for recent college grads
- Urban Fellows Program sponsored by New York City
- U.S. Government – The Recent Graduates Program – USJobs.gov “Recent Graduate”