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Students say the program, which places them in businesses countywide for several afternoons a week, gives them an early lesson in what they want — and what they don’t — in a career. In turn, they know better what college majors to pursue.

‘‘You get that first hands-on view of what dentistry would be like,” said Jamal Zaghal, 18, of Germantown who interns with dentist Dr. David Schlutz in Rockville. ‘‘I feel like I have an advantage over other students.”

Students must interview with the prospective business before they are placed. Students also must have their own transportation.

‘‘It is competitive,” Gill said. ‘‘They sort of weed themselves out if they’re not committed. They need to be very responsible. If they can’t meet deadlines, they’re not going to be a good employee.”

Germantown twin sisters Katherine and Michelle Delgadillo, both 17, both took internships with Patrick Hoover Law Offices in Rockville in September. Neither were interested in law careers, but rather sought fields that will let them pursue their strong interest in art. At Hoover, they design brochures and logos, work on the firm’s Web site and attend seminars that they help plan.

‘‘We learn the law stuff, but we’re basically designing everything for them,” Michelle said.

‘‘I never thought about law, I was never introduced to it,” Katherine said during a recent interview at Northwest.

After a few weeks of answering phones, dealing with potential clients and watching trials, Katherine is considering law more seriously.

‘‘Her personality fits right into it,” her sister said.

Katherine agreed.

‘‘It’s crazy how much you learn about yourself,” she said.

Nick Francis, 17, spends four afternoons a week interning in the radiation lab at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg.

‘‘I originally wanted an internship for a half-day schedule to tell you the truth,” Francis said. ‘‘But, now it’s more about learning.”

As part of the program, students participate in a weekly seminar, submit weekly journals, complete 75 hours for each half credit and complete a project at the end of each quarter and semester, Gill said. The weekly seminars educate students on scenarios they could face in a working environment, including interviews, social activities, writing letters of resignation and sexual harassment, she said.

Some students learn that the job isn’t for them, she said.

‘‘I’ve had students who go through four different placements,” Gill said, citing one girl who went to a law office, then to cosmetology, accounting and finally education. ‘‘It’s rare. I ask that they give each placement at least nine weeks. If it’s something that they feel is not for them, then we try to find something they connect with.”

For Wenjie Gao, 18, of Germantown, that something wasn’t accounting.

‘‘It was something I thought I would like. Before my internship, I thought I would focus on accounting in college,” he said. After the nine weeks learning about accounting, he earned an internship at Global Exchange Services, a Gaithersburg-based business-to-business firm, formally owned by General Electric Company.

Ashwin Satish, 17, of Boyds, earned a spot at Global Exchange Services to explore a career in computers.

‘‘I thought this would give me some insight,” he said. ‘‘I’ve learned you have to check and review everything, so you don’t get anything wrong.”

Several Northwest students intern at the company.

‘‘They’re definitely trying to soak up a lot,” said Gene MacFarlane, a sales operations analyst with Global Exchange. ‘‘They really like to know what they’re working on and how we’re using it. There’s a learning curve, but they pick things up really quickly.”

Sometimes pursuing your dream job means getting up extra early.

Jake Cone, 18, of Darnestown works with ferrier David Phillips around 6 a.m. most days. They travel between Potomac and Frederick County, fitting and resetting horseshoes.

‘‘I’ve pretty much, my whole life, grown up around horses,” he said. ‘‘I figured this would be a great opportunity to learn about horses and get credit at school.

He hopes to major in equine science at Colorado State University.

‘‘I really don’t know what I want to do with my life,” Cone said. ‘‘If I can make a career doing what I love, then I think that would be pretty great.”