Career Exploration Program

Application Deadline: March 14, 2008
Program: June 23 - August 8, 2008

Is it true that lawyers do most of their work outside of court? How much drawing is involved with architecture? Should pediatricians have personal experience raising kids? How can I become a nurse practitioner that specifically works with people who can’t afford quality heath care? What skills should I work on if I want to become a social worker, a doctor, or a dentist?  

Get answers through the Career Exploration Program (CEP), a seven-week paid summer internship program for high school juniors and seniors. The program will run from June 23 to August 8, 2008.

Participants have interned in popular fields such as graphic design, architecture, law, engineering, business, social services, the arts, and web design.  Student interested in healthcare have worked with pediatricians, orthopedic surgeons, veterinarians, dentists, and pharmacologists.

Community Leadership placements are available for students specifically interested in the non-profit sector. Students would see firsthand the inner workings of successful community-based organizations and get involved with hands-on projects directly affecting children, youth, adults, seniors, and families.  

Why should I be a CEP intern?

• Learn about a career that interests you through hands-on work and job shadowing
• Gain valuable work experience and job skills
• Refer to your internship on your resume and college applications
• Receive school credit (for SFUSD students only)
• Receive a cash stipend

What are the program requirements?

Only San Francisco High School juniors and seniors are eligible to participate in this program. Interns receive a certificate of completion and a cash stipend after fulfilling all of the following:

• Fulfill part-time schedule (15 hours per week) or full-time schedule (30 hours per week) for the entire seven weeks of the program.
• Attend an orientation, three workshops, and the closing celebration
• Submit weekly journal entries
• For the internship
• Design and achieve goals and action steps
• Conduct informational interviews
• Complete an individual project
• Prepare a portfolio with examples of your work

What have CEP 2007 participants said about the program?

“I learned what it would be like being a lawyer, specifically a Public Defender, which is something I’ll definitely keep in mind. It helped me learn about myself, what I want, what I might want to do.” (SF Public Defenders Office’s intern)

“The experience so far has been amazing. The internship has been all that I have expected. I have had such an enriching experience and I have learned so much about the field or orthopedic surgery.” (UCSF Orthopedic Surgery’s intern)

“It was definitely helpful for my career goal, which is medicine; I have a better idea about the importance of nutrition. The knowledge I gained is very useful, I can apply it everywhere. I completed my goals, and learned a lot. I felt like I helped people, and they taught me in return.” (VA Medical Center intern)

“It taught me the many different aspects in being a dentist and it opened my eyes to see how much responsibilities the dentist has everyday.” (D. Osumi DDS intern)

Great! How do I apply?

• Download an application and send it back to us before March 14, 2008 (Applications are available for pick up at the Enterprise office or can be downloaded from this site. Note that all requirements should be met in order to be granted an interview)
•  Become a member of Enterprise if you are not already! You must become a member of Enterprise in order to participate in the Career Exploration Program. Call our student services staff at (415) 392-7600, Ext. 1 anytime between 9 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday for more information on how to become a member.

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For more information about CEP, call (415) 392-7600 extension 315 or email us by clicking this button.

Enterprise’s Role

Enterprise provides workshops and support staff during the program to help you fulfill the internship requirements. The Coordinator is available throughout the summer program to answer any questions and to provide support. Each student in the CEP program is assigned a volunteer advisor who also attends the workshops, helps solve problems, offers feedback and conducts an internship site visit. At the internship site, each student works under the direct guidance of a supervisor who provides the student challenging and hands-on responsibilities.

Photo Gallery

View photos of CEP participants at their sites.

Medicine, Veterinary and Labs

Government, Banking and Law

Architecture and Engineering

Graphic Design, Journalism and the Arts