An internship is a short-term work opportunity at a company or organization that allows students to get some entry-level work experience in a specific field. Students oftentimes seek out winter break or
summer internships. Some students even work during the semester, gaining both work experience and academic credit.
Internships are available to high school, college, and graduate students. Though the main objective is to get work experience, some students may find a paid opportunity that helps to generate income or pay for college. That's a real win-win for any student.
Why are Internships Important?
Nowadays, it's imperative that students have some type of
intern experience on their resume. It will enable them to stand out from the competition as well as provide some real-work scenarios to talk through during job interviews.
Exposure to Real Life
Internships are oftentimes a student's first foray into the real working world. While they may have held part-time jobs in the past, an internship is their first glimpse into the career or field to which they hope to enter after graduation.
Interns will be able to see how to perform a job as well as how to conduct themselves in a workplace environment. They will gain experience from observing basic workplace etiquette, like showing up on time and reporting to a manager.
An Opportunity to Learn
In addition to learning how to perform a specific job or role, interns will be able to learn a variety of real-life lessons during their internship. They'll observe and practice balancing multiple projects, presenting in meetings, and integrating into a team.
Interns shouldn't just perform the tasks at hand. They should utilize this time to observe
Develop Professional Skills
Interns' learning opportunities aren't limited to how to do a specific job or role. Rather, they're learning how to be an employee that can transition into any field or setting.
Invaluable skills learned during an internship include communication, teamwork, professionalism, and so much more. The only way to learn many of these is through hands-on experience.
Networking and Relationship Building
Finally, interns receive the benefit of meeting a variety of people within their field of interest during their time working. These relationships can serve as stepping stones after graduation – and throughout the rest of their career.
It's imperative that
interns make a good impression with everyone that they work with, and to set up meetings throughout their internship to build relationships across a variety of departments.
What to Consider When Choosing an Internship
When it comes to internships, students need to be strategic about where they work. While any internship is a great experience, they will benefit more from an opportunity that can help them launch their career.
Make sure the student internship is in your field of study.
Internships are the initial stepping stone to one's career. It is more worthwhile to choose an internship that is within a student's field of study and their hopeful career after graduation.
Employers will choose a graduate that has experience in the field over those that don't. A simple choice in college could make a huge impact for the future.
Does it fit your degree requirements?
Many students are able to forego classes for a semester in order to complete an internship. However, the internship must meet their degree requirements.
Students can work closely with their
off-campus office or career center to ensure that their internship will count for credit, all while staying on track to graduate. Furthermore, students that complete a summer internship may be able to parley that into college credit as well.
Will the hours fit your academic schedule?
If students do plan to complete an internship while attending classes, they must make it work within their academic schedule. What good is an internship if it hurts a GPA and changes a student's graduation timeline?
When taking on internships, students must work with their employer as well as their college to guarantee that the opportunity will make the student profitable in both spheres.
Consider location.
Finally, students should take into account the location of the internship. It may be beneficial to stay close to campus.
However, if they hope to move to a different city after college – say New York or Los Angeles – it may be in their best interest to secure an internship there. Not only will students have the experience of working in that city, they will also be able to make personal connections with people living and working there that could help them after graduation.
Paid Internship Experiences
Because internships are considered to be educational, many are unpaid. Instead, the payment comes in the experience students receive.
However, there are opportunities across the country that are paid. These are a win-win for students.
The NASA Internship is available to are available to high school through graduate level students attending full-time accredited programs appropriate to the NASA internship. You must be a U.S. citizen, majoring in wide-variety of majors ranging from business to science and engineering to be considered for this internship. College-level interns must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0. As an intern, you will engage in scientific or engineering research, development, and operations activities. In addition, there are non-technical internship opportunities to engage in professional activities which support NASA business and administrative processes.
The Dell Financial Services Internship Program is available to undergraduate students. Internships last 11 weeks and provide participants with opportunities to be exposed to the full operating structure of the financing business and work on challenging and strategic projects in a variety of key functional areas within Dell.
The Nestle Professional Culinary Internship is available to culinary students who possess excellent culinary, BOH kitchen, and communication skills, and are familiar with traditional and ethnic cuisines. As an intern, your responsibilities will include recipe development, internal and external training, customer presentations, product development, industry functions and internal NFS events. You will oversee and maintain inventory of products, equipment, china, glassware, etc. for the culinary center and will provide research of trends and assist with development of operational tools, best practices, and marketing tools. This internship is offered in Solon, OH.
The Estee Lauder Marketing Summer Internship is available to college juniors and seniors who are majoring in business marketing, digital marketing, or consumer analytics. To be considered for this opportunity, you should have a passion for luxury goods and the beauty industry, possess excellent communication skills, be detail-oriented, proficient in Microsoft Office, and be able to work in a professional and confidential environment. As an intern, you will have the opportunity to work in one of many areas within the focus ranging from various brands to corporate functions. You will build your marketing acumen through digital, product marketing, or consumer insight projects. You will also gain a holistic view of the organization through networking, professional development, and interacting with different areas of the business.
The TikTok Software Engineering Internship is available to students currently pursuing an undergraduate or master's degree in software development, computer science, computer engineering, or a related technical discipline. To be considered for this opportunity, you should have prior experience working with languages like Go/Python/PHP/C++/C/Java, possess excellent communication and teamwork skills, and have strong experience with data structures and algorithms. As an intern, you will gain valuable, hands-on experience and focus on backend, testing, algorithm, or other area of the engineering team. This internship is offered in various locations.
The Activision MBA Internship is available to students pursuing an MBA degree. As an intern, you will participate in a 10-week, highly selective and exciting program embedding you into one of the Activision teams and putting you in the middle of the action.
The YEP Internship is available to current high school juniors and seniors. You must have focus on entrepreneurial thinking and development through practical experience to be considered for this internship. As an intern, you will gain invaluable experience, scholars receive compensation and a college scholarship at the end of the summer.
The Agile Space Industries Propulsion Design Engineer Internship is available to students who have a basic understanding of fluid mechanics, familiarity with Computer Aided Design (Solidworks preferred), and hands-on hardware experience. As an intern, you will assist in the design, testing, and operation of hypergolic thrusters. Interns will receive a salary, housing stipend, and mentorship. This internship is offered in Durango, CO, during the summer semester.
The Dell IT Internship is available to undergraduate IT students. Internships last six to 24 weeks and provide participants with opportunities to work in areas including project management, software development, systems analysis, and security at Dell. Interns will be invited to work on stretch projects, they can collaborate on events like out annual IT Intern Hackathon, innovation initiatives and more.
The American Airlines Internship is available to junior and senior-level undergraduate students who are enrolled at an accredited university. Internships are offered in airport hub administration, cargo, customer planning and analysis, finance, procurement and supply chain, revenue management, sales and marketing, and related areas. As an intern, you will gain real-world experience in the aviation industry, have exposure to industry leaders, attend networking events, and receive 10 days of travel immediately after internship completion to explore the world.
The Engineering Intern is available to students pursuing an engineering degree and be at least a junior in the program. As an intern, you will support design and development teams in concept prototype build and test iterations and design transfer teams in production launch activities. Salary: Up to $22.00/hour
The Brooklyn Museum Education Internship Program is open to college graduates interested in teaching diverse audiences. This ten- month internship allows interns to receive intensive training in museum- education philosophy and practice from museum staff. You must be eligible to work in the United States to participate in this paid internship.
The Dell Marketing Internship is available to undergraduate students in marketing fields. Internships last 10 weeks and provide participants with opportunities to work in global communications, global events marketing, social media business, digital marketing, field and partner marketing, brand creative, and brand advertising at Dell.
The Sam's Club High School Internship Program is open to high school juniors and seniors. Internships are available at locations across the United States and across the Business Operations unit. Intern duties span areas of member service, training, and asset protection. Internships last ten weeks and offer a preview of different jobs, learning new skillsets and how to be resilient.
The Television Academy Foundation Internship Program is available to undergraduate and graduate students. Internships are offered in casting, development, editing, and production management. Interns will gain in-depth exposure to professional television production, techniques, and practices. Internships are offered during the spring, summer, and fall semesters.
The William M. Lapenta NOAA Student Internship Program is available to sophomore and junior-level undergraduate students and graduate students of any level who are studying a STEM field that is relevant to NOAA's mission. This internship provides students interested in meteorological sciences an opportunity to perform robust research and gain operational experience. Selection is based on a CV, personal statement, and two letters of recommendation. This internship runs for 10 weeks during the summer and interns are provided with housing and a travel allowance.
The Women's Studio Workshop Internship is open to artists who want to gain experience in papermaking, printmaking, book arts, ceramics and arts administration. To be considered for this internship, you should have experience in at least of the two areas: silkscreen, letterpress, printmaking, papermaking, book arts, or graphic design. As an intern, you will work to assist in the day to day running of WSW. You must send a resume, three letters of reference, a letter of interest, and 10 images of recent work in order to apply. This internship is located in Rosendale, NY.
The Shell Internship is available to undergraduate and graduate students who have a minimum GPA of 3.2. You must have at least one semester left upon completion of the internship program to be considered. Additionally, you should enjoy being challenged, be innovative, good at absorbing information, be driven, and possess excellent analytical skills. As an intern, you will get to know Shell from the inside and immerse yourself in the energy industry by joining a project team and working alongside employees who are all professionals in their fields. You'll have full day-to-day involvement in actual projects, selected to match your interests and abilities. A supervisor and mentor will support you directly and you'll undertake regular assessments throughout your internship to ensure you get the most from the experience. Internships are typically offered in Texas, Louisiana, California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
The Principal Financial Services Internship is available to undergraduate and graduate students. Internships are offered in accounting, actuarial, investments, marketing and communications, technology and engineering, and other related areas. As an intern, you will gain hands-on experience with real responsibilities, have access to executives, work in a great environment, and participate in lunch and learns, team outings, personal finance seminars, and networking events. Internships are offered in Des Moines, IA.
