In Milestone 3, you’ll turn your career goals into real-world experience. Through Experiential Learning—including internships, micro-internships, simulations, and more—you’ll build skills, apply your knowledge, and make professional connections.
You’ll complete this milestone over time as you gain experience. Explore opportunities below to get started.
Find experiences such as internships, micro-internships, and simulations
Find a variety of internships, fellowships, and volunteer opportunities on WGU Handshake.
Utilize LinkedIn a search engine to find a wide variety of experiential opportunities.
Explore Opportunities by School
How to Gain Experience
Knowing what you want to get out of experiential learning helps you pick experiences that matter.
📄 Complete the Preferences Identifier to figure out the skills and experience you want to gain. This will help you find opportunities that meet your needs and career goal.
📄Review the Comparison Tool to compare common ways to gain experience and select opportunities that meet your needs.
Want an An Boost?
Ask an AI tool like ChatGPT to suggest options that match your goals and preferences.
Sample prompt: “My career goal is [goal or target role], I want to build [these skills], I can spend [X hours/week], and I prefer [remote/self-paced]. Which experiential learning options would fit best?”
Find out if experiential learning is part of your program. Examples include capstone projects, clinical/field experience, industry projects, case studies, and simulations. To learn more, check your course descriptions and program guides on your degree page or ask your program mentor.
Review the Internship & Experiential Learning Guide to explore each experiential learning pathway and discover where to find opportunities.
We encourage you to look for a variety of experiential learning opportunities. These can include: internships, micro-internships, volunteering, apprenticeships, fellowships, and more! You can start your search here:
Find experiences such as internships, micro-internships, and simulations
Find internships, fellowships, and volunteer opportunities on WGU Handshake.
Use LinkedIn to find a wide variety of experiential opportunities.
Reach out to your network to discover opportunities. Use our AI Guide to write messages that get responses.
Due to the burden of unpaid internships, WGU strongly encourages students to consider paid internships as completing an unpaid internship may cause significant financial challenges which may impact your ability to complete an internship. WGU only approves paid internships on Handshake.
Additionally, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), research has revealed that paid internships lead to more job offers post-internship. In fact, students who completed an unpaid internship had the same number of job offers as students who did not complete any type of internship. This data demonstrates that being financially compensated for your internship may have an impact on your future career prospects and job offers.
Experiential learning opportunities can be highly competitive. Treat each application with the same care and preparation you would for a professional job.
Download and use the Career Success Checklist to get the most from your experiential learning, so you can learn more, make a good impression, and stand out to employers.
Download and use the Career Growth Toolkit to reflect on your experiences, showcase your accomplishments, and grow your network.
Want an AI Boost?
Ask an AI tool like ChatGPT to help you build résumé bullet points and interview talking points.
Remember to always review and edit the output to make sure it’s an honest reflection of your work!
WGU has partnered with Riipen and HubSpot to offer project-based micro-internships to students in various programs.
Are you seeking employment and feeling challenged by the process? You are not alone! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average job search is currently taking 5.5 months. Many candidates are also facing a competitive market with little to no response from employers—especially if candidates are …
This video features a student panel discussing their experiences with a HubSpot micro-internship. Students share how the hands-on project helped them build real-world skills, gain confidence, and better understand how to apply their knowledge in a professional setting.
Warning signs.
There are common “red flags” that we encourage you to look for as you evaluate opportunities, as they …
This checklist helps you succeed in micro-internships, volunteering, simulations, and other hands-on learning. It walks you through key steps to …
This toolkit will help you reflect on the skills and connections you built during your experiential learning. It provides actionable …
This helpful resource will help you compare common experiential learning paths and select opportunities that meet your needs.
To locate …
Download the Preferences Identifier document to better understand your experiential learning needs.
To locate the file, follow these steps:
