Career Planning

Must-See Paid Internships for Students

Paid internships are a win-win for students.

Kathryn Knight Randolph

November 14, 2024

An internship is a must-have experience. You might as well get paid for it too!

Paid Internships for Students

NASA Internship

The NASA Internship is 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 a 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. You will engage in scientific or engineering research, development, and operations activities as an intern. In addition, there are non-technical internship opportunities to engage in professional activities that support NASA's business and administrative processes.

Comedy Central Daily Show Internship Internship

The Daily Show Internship is open to students interested in TV production. This production-focused opportunity will allow interns to learn the inner workings of a legacy late-night show. Each intern will work directly with various departments to learn how the show is made from the ground up each day. Those departments include, but are not limited to, Audience, Talent, Post-Production, and Field.

Starbucks Internship-PAID

The Starbucks Internship is available to upper-division undergraduate students and to first-year graduate students. Internships are offered in technology, supply chain, business, supply chain, data analytics, engineering, manufacturing management, transportation, finance, accounting, economics, global business services, licensed store business development, human resources, and other fields. Throughout this 10-12-week program, you will work full-time on meaningful projects, participate in round tables with executives and leadership, and access professional development workshops. This internship is offered in Seattle, WA; relocation support is available.

Estee Lauder Marketing Summer Internship

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 interaction with different business areas.

TikTok Software Engineering Internship

The TikTok Software Engineering Internship is available to students 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 the backend, testing, algorithm, or other area of the engineering team. This internship is offered in various locations.

Activision MBA Internship

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.

Amazon Spring/Summer 2025 Operations Engineering Internship-PAID

The Amazon Spring/Summer 2025 Operations Engineering Internship is available to upper-division undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related technically-based engineering field. To be considered for this opportunity, you should have proven technical guidance for large-scale industrial engineering projects and be experienced in implementing integrated automation solutions, such as complex material handling systems, high-speed packaging lines, and manufacturing lines. As an intern, you will assist in designing, building, improving, and innovating order fulfillment infrastructure throughout the large-scale supply chain network within Amazon’s North America customer fulfillment project engineering team. This role is offered in various locations in the U.S.

Agile Space Industries Propulsion Design Engineer Internship

The Agile Space Industries Propulsion Design Engineer Internship is available to students with 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 designing, testing, and operating hypergolic thrusters. Interns will receive a salary, housing stipend, and mentorship. This internship is offered in Durango, CO, during the summer semester.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy 2025 Lab Technician/Chemist Internship-PAID

The Berkshire Hathaway Energy 2025 Lab Technician/Chemist Internship is available to sophomore-level and above students pursuing a degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, or a related field. To be considered for this award, you should possess strong communication, computer, project management, analytical, and multi-tasking skills. Prior utility or energy industry experience is helpful but not required. As an intern, you will conduct accurate, precise, safe, and efficient sampling, sample preparation, and analysis of facility liquids, gases, and solids. This internship is offered in Calipatria, CA.

American Airlines Internship

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.

Biomerics Engineering Internship

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

Brooklyn Museum Education Internship

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.

Target Internship - PAID

The Target Internship is available to applicants interested in gaining experience in the retail industry. Internships are offered in software engineering, operations management, financial analyst development, marketing, assets protection, associate buyer, store executive team leader, inventory analyst, space and presentation business partner, finance, and supply chain. As an intern, you will gain hands-on experience in your field of study through an 8-10 week experience.

Sam's Club High School Internship

The Sam's Club High School Internship Program is open to high school juniors and seniors. Internships are available across the United States and 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 skill sets, and how to be resilient.

Adidas 2025 Summer Sports Product Design Internship-PAID

The Adidas 2025 Summer Sports Product Design Internship is available to upper-division undergraduate students who are passionate about footwear and are proficient in Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop, PowerPoint/Key Note, and Apple Mac Operating system. As an intern, you will assist a team in seasonal and long-term design direction for their category, including footwear and apparel color and footwear materials, contribute to design direction by assisting in trend forecasting content relevant to the consumer and brand, and assist in designing footwear color and material executions. This 12-week internship program is offered in Portland, OR.

William M. Lapenta NOAA Student Internship Program-PAID

The William M. Lapenta NOAA Student Internship Program is available to sophomore and junior-level undergraduate students and graduate students of any level studying a STEM field relevant to NOAA's mission. This internship allows students interested in meteorological sciences 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, providing interns with housing and a travel allowance.

Women's Studio Workshop Internship-PAID

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.

Shell Internship-PAID

The Shell Internship is available to undergraduate and graduate students who have a minimum GPA of 3.2. After completing the internship program, you must have at least one semester left to be considered. Additionally, you should enjoy being challenged, be innovative, be 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.

Principal Financial Services Internship-PAID

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.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.

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Kathryn Knight Randolph

Associate Content Editor

Kathryn Knight Randolph is the Associate Content Editor at Fastweb. She has 17 years of higher education experience, working first as an Admissions Officer at DePauw University before joining Fastweb. In b...