Freelance Projects Through Parker Dewey

What is Freelance Projects through Parker Dewey? 

Parker Dewey is a network of highly motivated career launchers and business professionals working together to find paid opportunities for college students that help companies effectively complete tasks and improve hiring. They contract with college students and recent graduates who want to work on short-term, freelance professional projects so that they can generate income while demonstrating capabilities and gaining practical experience.  

What is a Career Launcher? 

Career Launchers are highly motivated college students and recent graduates who are seeking to gain professional experience while demonstrating their talent and skills.  Parker Dewey refers to account holders/applicants as Career Launchers. 

Why does the Parker Dewey site refer to them as micro-internships? 

The opportunities on Parker Dewey are referred to as micro-internships because they provide similar benefits to an internship in a shorter period of time.  The projects come from a variety of industries and disciplines, and range from 5 to 40 hours of work. Columbia College Chicago views these opportunities as freelance projects and NOT micro-internships because they are generally less than the 75 hour minimum requirement for an internship for credit; therefore students would not receive internship credit.    

Why is Columbia offering this to students? 

Columbia College Chicago’s Career Center is dedicated to career development and exploration at all levels of a student’s academic and career journey.  Freelance projects through Parker Dewey enables students and alumni to gain experience in their industry while working on freelance projects that can enhance resumes and provide collaborative and experiential opportunities with short-term projects.  

What are the benefits? 

All projects on the Parker Dewey platform are fixed-fee, paid engagements. 

Benefits include: 

  • Experience –work on interesting projects and explore career options 
  • Relationships – develop your network with potential employers 
  • Access – demonstrate your capabilities 
  • Income – earn money for completing the project – paid directly by Parker Dewey 

What types of projects are there? 

Parkey Dewey actively reaches out to a variety of industries and organization sizes. There are typically around 100 projects available (on the platform) at any time, based upon the current needs of the clients. Projects are due between one week and one month after kick-off and are supervised by the client.  Projects may be required to be completely remote, on-site, or a combination of the two.  The assignments are comparable to those typically given to skilled new hires.  To see visit: www.parkerdewey.com/example-projects 

Do I Still Use Handshake? 

Yes!  Because Parker Dewey offers short-term and freelance projects only, you’ll still use Handshake to make appointments, search for internships and jobs, and register for events.  

Do I Still Use Portfolium? 

Yes!  Portfolium is your online collection of projects and work samples that you can share on your resume and in your application process. You’ll stand out from the masses because your Portfolium projects are tagged with your personal and technical skills.   Portfolium is searchable by employers and is an effective platform for getting your work noticed.   

What’s the Application Process and is there a cost? 

There is no cost for Career Launchers. Simply create a Profile at https://info.parkerdewey.com/colum, Browse opportunities and apply!  There are no fees to create an account or browse opportunities on Parker Dewey.  

Do I have access to Parker Dewey after I graduate? 

Yes!  Once you’ve created your Parker Dewey account, you’ll have access until you request to delete your account.  

Still have questions? Download our Info Sheet with details about payment, expectations, and more.