By far the most common and often successful experiential opportunity available to any college undergrad is participating in an internship. An internship can be so important to getting a job that it is cited by many environmental studies alumni as "the most valuable aspect of their undergraduate experience," according to the Environmental Careers Organization (ECO). Often a professional internship can bridge the difficult transition between completion of an undergraduate education and the environmental job market.

Internships are a great mechanism for students to explore and apply their course work to real world situations. It also provides them an opportunity to see if a particular career or environmental industry is what they really want to pursue once graduated. The skills and experiences a student obtains prove invaluable in assisting them in securing a job after graduation or being accepted to graduate school. Most importantly, student interns gain valuable experience and prove to themselves and potential employers that they can survive in the professional workplace.

Both Environmental Studies and Hydrologic Sciences students consistently comment that their field and internship experiences enhance and complement their college education and that internships often lead to jobs after graduation. Combined with appropriate course work, internships provide a stepping stone to a number of careers in environmentally related fields. Internships can be hard work, but well worth it, as these comments from former interns demonstrate:

“...this internship was extremely enlightening and eye-opening. My attitude has changed and I can present myself in a much more professional manner. The internship experience is an opportunity no ES Major should pass up!” - intern with the SB County Dept. Resource Management

“Internships are extremely valuable because they let one know if it’s the right field for them or not. It stops the mistake of going into a career with blinders on.” - intern with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  

1. UCSB's Handshake - Sponsored by UCSB Career Services this is UCSB's main internship and job board!  A lot of internships will be posted on Handshake, and quite a few are local. You can tailor your search based on specific keywords of environmental topics that you're most interested in getting experience working in. Handshake also provides a weekly round up of internships/job opportunities tailor-made for you!

2. ESMail - The Environmental Studies departments primary student email listserv, it goes out weekly and often contains local internship opportunities are posted throughout the school year to ESMail. There's not a ton of these, but still worth checking out when they pop up! 

3.  ES's Environmental Leadership Incubator (ELI) Job Listings webpage regularly updates with new local environmental job & internship opportunities available for undergraduate students and recent graduates.

4.  Visit the ES webpage dedicated to listing UCSB and local environmental organizations.  Many have been part of the community for decades and have offered a variety of opportunities for students to gain experience, including internships.  It also contains a list of Professional Environmental Organizations that often offer student membership and mentoring opportunities!

5. UCSB hosts a lot of internships right on campus throughout Fall, Winter, and Spring that a lot of ES majors have participated in. Here's a list of them: 

• CCBER (Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration- they do eco-restoration work in UCSB's North Campus, restoring an old golf course to a natural estuarine ecosystem + restore campus Lagoon) 
• EHS - Environmental Health and Safety, they do more regulatory internships
• UCSB Sustainability - They host a broad range of internships on various projects, including their Carbon Neutrality Initiative, Global Food Initiative, Laboratory Research and Technical Staff, and PACES
• REEF - they are being stingier these days about internship credit, but a lot of students volunteer here. They work with aquatic organisms and students will run tours in their little aquarium.
• Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary - if you're interested in marine ecology
• Health & Wellness Intern - they do great work on food access/food security on campus
• Research opportunities with faculty outside environmental studies - you can get internship credit through ENV S 192 for faculty research, so long as it's with a faculty member not in the ES department if you're more interested in the Research route. You can look through the URAD database to search for faculty that are actively recruiting student researchers on their work. 

6. You can go through the Local Organizations Page on our website and see if there are any organizations you are interested in, and email them to see if they have any internship opportunities open; even if they don’t, you can ask them to keep you in the loop should one become available.

7. Beyond using the above UCSB resources, one of the best ways to find an internship is by using your own persona network of friends, peers, acquaintances, family, friends of family, etc.  Looking for a job can be a challenging and lengthy process, but networking is one way to make it easier. Networking allows you to meet new people in your field, learn about new opportunities, and get your name out there, and learn more about a particular industry.  (Conducting Informational Interviews can be one of the best ways to grow your network - learn more here)

You never know when one of your contacts will have a lead on a great job or be able to introduce you to someone who can help further your career. Networking is also essential for keeping up with industry trends and developments. When you network with the right people, you gain valuable insights from professionals who are working in the real world and dealing with the same challenges as you are. So don't underestimate the power of networking; it can make a difference in your career search! 

Research shows that 70% of jobs are never published publicly, and up to 80% of jobs are filled through personal and professional connections. So how do you get the chance to throw your hat in the ring? Networking. Networking can help you get your foot in the door, so to speak, with people already working in your desired field or company. If you know someone who works at a company you're interested in, they may be able to put in a good word for you or even help you get an interview. These connections can get you further than you think in searching for a job. It's not always what you know; it's whom you know.

Networking can help you find mentors and role models, learn about different industries and companies, and get your foot in the door—the most important thing to remember when networking is to be genuine. You should be interested in making connections and helping others, not just trying to get something out of them. Once you start meeting people and building relationships, you never know what opportunities might come your way. 

You might be able to get in the door with a company by networking, but it's important to remember that you're not just looking for any job - you're looking for a career. When you network, it's essential to focus on making connections that will further your career search. Attend industry events, connect with professionals on LinkedIn, and follow companies and leaders in your field on social media.   source

The Environmental Studies Internship Program is open to sophomore, junior or senior ES and Hydrologic Sciences majors with at least a 2.75 GPA (a waiver petition is available for those students under 2.75). A large majority of the students majoring within Environmental Studies complete at least one internship, while many students go on to complete multiple internship opportunities before graduating. Students enrolled in the ESIP course (ENV S 192) receive upper-division credit for their internship. Interns must work under the direction of a ES faculty advisor as well as the Internship Coordinator. Non-Environmental Studies majors are also welcome to enroll in ENV S 192 if their home department does not offer internship credit (must complete the non-major waiver form).

Academic credit is awarded on a Pass/No Pass format. The units vary according to the number of internship hours fulfilled by the student. For every 30 hours completed during an internship, one unit is given. ES and Hydrologic Sciences majors receive up to a total of 12 upper-division College of Letters and Science units, of which no more than four may apply towards their major requirements. Hours for any one internship opportunity may be spread over one to three quarters, depending on the requirements of the agency and the time commitment by the student. ESIP runs year round and students can obtain and complete an internship at any time, including the summer.

In addition to the field work and hours completed by the student, interns must also satisfy five other requirements to receive a passing grade: write a weekly reflective journal, complete and turn in a mid-quarter question set, attend the mid-quarter seminar meeting, a final question set, and turn in the completed Intern and Agency final evaluation forms.

A syllabus is provided at the beginning of each academic quarter by the Internship Coordinator. It will list the times, dates, and rooms in which the mid-quarter and final seminar will be conducted as well as the due date for the required assignments. As UCSB follows the quarter system with an additional session in the summer, students who wish to receive academic credit for an internship must be enrolled in ENV S 192 by the end of the second week of the quarter.

Two internship orientation/information sessions are offered by the Internship Coordinator at the beginning of the first week and the end of the 9th week of each quarter. Students who wish to pursue an internship are encouraged to attend one of these meetings at least one quarter before they plan to begin an internship. Currently enrolled students who wish to continue their internship for the following quarter must obtain and complete a Continuation Proposal and return it to the Coordinator by the end of the second week of the next quarter.