Internships, mentoring, and collaborative projects are three forms of developmental interactions that students can use to acquire knowledge, gain advice, and get support to guide them through the transition to postcollege life. The current research used data from undergraduate senior business majors and a cohort of alumni 3 to 5 years after graduation to examine the short-term and early career outcomes of such developmental experiences. The results suggest that, compared with not having developmental interaction experiences, (a) being mentored leads to more psychosocial support in the short-term and more career development, business knowledge, and psychosocial support once a student has graduated and is working for 3 to 5 years; (b) engaging in a collaborative student project leads to more career development, business knowledge, and psychosocial support; and (c) doing an internship results in more career development support, more job satisfaction, more career satisfaction, more organizational commitment, and faster promotion rates. These findings suggest that making multiple developmental interactions part of a management education curriculum can help students better prepare for the working world.
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