For students who have not decided on a major, working on a co-op job, like taking a variety of courses in new subjects, is an excellent way of exploring possible fields of concentration. Cooperative education often serves this exploratory purpose. Many Antioch students have several co-op jobs in their field by the time they graduate, which helps considerably in getting a job or gaining entry to a graduate or professional school. Since co-op jobs give students practical experience in a field, students sometimes find that they don't enjoy work in a particular area as much as they thought they would. This may lead to changing majors.
Cooperative education allows students to test their interests in a field of specialization.
Finally, it is also important to understand that the cooperative program at Antioch is viewed as a basic part of liberal-arts education. It broadens a student's general knowledge of the world. A philosophy major might take a job at a religious-retreat center. An art major might do an apprenticeship with an artist. They might have a broad range of experience in social services, business, education, and the sciences.