Program Overview

Currently, over 8 million people work virtually across the United States and increasingly, companies and organizations are exploring the virtual workspace. There is an undeniable shift towards work being done in locations outside of a traditional office setting.

Columbia University is moving in an innovative new direction to enhance the professional skills and experiential opportunities to its students with the Virtual Internship Program (VIP).  The program provides students with a virtual internship based in cities across the nation in a variety of career fields as well as educational programming to make the most of the internship.  Interns will contribute to projects while working remotely, meaning the majority of their interactions with co-workers, clients and supervisors (as well as project work) are done  in the comfort of their own space.  The Center for Career Education will support the student intern through educational programming designed to enhance the virtual internship, helping students sharpen their professional skills.

VIP interns can find opportunities in the fields listed below. This is only a sampling of positions available. Internships for the Spring semester will be posted on a rolling basis from October through November on LionSHARE.

• Marketing
• Engineering 
• Sustainability Consulting
• Non-profit 
• Content Management
• Web Development

Program Features

The Virtual Internship program offers a combination of internship experience, peer connections with other VIP interns and professional career development and support with a career counselor. Program features include the following:

• Ten-week project based internship for 10-20 hours per week during the Spring semester.
• Pre-program training that includes program overview, goal setting exercises and a chance to meet the other Virtual Interns in the program.
• Skills Development Workshops with a career counseling professional addressing topics such as navigating a virtual work environment, managing time, dealing with distractions and communicating effectively. This is also an opportunity to work with other VIP interns to develop skills and ask questions in a supportive environment.
• One-on-one career counseling appointments throughout the ten weeks to support and enhance the internship experience.
• End of Program Reflection Session that includes evaluation of the internship experience, goal attainment analysis and personal and professional development discussion.

Program Benefits

Upon completion of the Virtual Internship Program, students will have gained an understanding of the virtual workspace and effectively produced completed projects for their employer. Students will have developed their skills in self-directed work, time management, collaboration and working on a virtual team. Additionally, students will have acquired professional skills such as research, effective communication, and project management. With the support of a career counseling professional, students will also be able to articulate their experience through goal setting exercises, understanding transferable skills they have gained and reflecting upon their internship experience appropriately.

Information Sessions

Learn more about the program, the organizations and the internships available by coming to one of our information sessions:

Friday, October 30, 2009 1-2:00pm (CCE Conference Room)
Monday, November 9, 2009 1-2:00 pm (CCE Conference Room)

FAQs

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Program Contacts

If you have questions about this program, please feel free to contact:

Syeda Lewis
Assistant Director of Experiential Education and Student Enterprises, Center for Career Education
sl3067@columbia.edu

Articles

Read about how virtual internships are a growing trend in this recent Wall Street Journal Article
Check out some interesting facts and figures about virtual positions from Urban Interns