According to a study led by University of Waterloo researchers, university co-op students earn higher salaries and are able to land more prestigious jobs after graduation. Researchers found that graduates of co-op programs are making 15% more per year than non co-op students.

Greg Justice, a Stanford undergrad and Cisco’s social media intern, recently went viral, not only making Cisco look cool again but also raising the bar for interns everywhere. What can we learn from “the world’s most interesting intern”?

In general, if you are: 1) a full-time international student, 2) registered at an officially authorized university or college, and 3) are in possession of a valid study permit, then you can qualify to legally work in Canada.

Tears began to well up in my eyes. The more I tried to resist them, the more they accumulated. After seconds of hovering, tiny drops spilled over my lower eyelids and slowly trickled down my cheek. The words “organizational restructuring,” “downsizing” and “financial constraints” echoed in my ear minutes after I hung up the telephone.

On an internship facilitated by AIESEC and sponsored by the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, Curtis Riep (right) volunteered in Gujarat at the Research Foundation for Governance in India, a non-government organization conducting research on civil rights, proper governance, and other socio-political issues.

Launching your career can be both exciting and terrifying. If you ensure that you and your employer have realistic expectations and goals, communicate on progress regularly and use the tips above, you should be poised to get the most out of your amazing opportunity.

Whether you want to take an extra major, do a co-op placement, travel or study abroad, or you just need to slow down the pace, extending the length of your degree is a serious but viable option. It can make your degree stronger if you plan it effectively and use the opportunity to your advantage.

Karen Cleveland, marketing and communications manager at St. Joseph Media in Toronto, says there are a few things students and new grads can do to ensure that transition goes as smoothly as possible.

Community service learning (CSL) is experiential education that combines classroom learning with learning in the community.

“Arts students have so many transferable skills, from communication, writing, to research,” says Phoenix Lam, the program administrator for the University of British Columbia’s Arts Internship Program.