The Who, What and Where of College Internships

Internships: The insanely intimidating yet essential addition to every college student’s resume. I find my inbox full of emails from my college’s journalism department about opportunities for summer internships everyday. To be brutally honest, I have no intentions of spending my first summer out of college packed in some dusty, ominous office in my hometown. After living in the same state around the same people becoming immune to the same weather, don’t college kids deserve at least a little getaway? The answer is no. For all you Journalism, Engineering, Business, Marketing and Government majors, there’s great potential for your upcoming summer to be filled with both an internship and adventure.

Journalism: New York City, N.Y.

Home to the largest number of national media companies and ranked the number one television market in the country, New York is a corporate candyland for journalism majors looking for experience.

Kasey Feather, a junior print journalism major at Penn State, found herself in Columbus Circle working as a features and tech intern for Marie Claire Magazine. “If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere…right? I love the atmosphere and the energy of New York,” Feather said. “There’s always something to do and there’s never a dull moment.” She explained that it was certainly not Devil Wears Prada-esque and that everyone was so friendly. Unfortunately, salaries in this industry are all-but-booming so unless you want to sleep in the cardboard box on the sidewalk, I suggest you land an internship in NYC ASAP.

Engineering: Silicon Valley, Calif.

The circuit of digital technology, Silicon Valley can’t be beat when it comes to engineering internships. John Khaykin, a junior cognitive science major at UC Berkeley,, was lucky to land an internship this past summer with WePay in Redwood City, just north of Silicon Valley. Working as a Solutions Engineer intern at this online payment service provider turned out to be an unforgettable experience.

“I absolutely loved my internship,” Khaykin said. “Being in Redwood City felt comfortable, it’s not too big or overwhelming.” With a less enduring commute, Khaykin enjoyed the beauty of surrounding cities. An internship in Silicon Valley would be the ultimate change in scenery for engineering students who often spend long hours in front of computer screens. Lucky for Khaykin, he’s already learned it all.

Business: Charlotte, N.C.

Due to its popularity, business majors choose from opportunities all across the country. To zero in and focus on finances, East Coast, Charlotte, North Carolina provides a place for money-lovers. Caroline Bueley, a junior business major at the University of Virginia, recalls her time interning for both UBS, a financial service company and Addison Whitney, a branding company.

“Even if you don’t live there, there’s lots to do, low rent and lots of the banks, especially Wells Fargo, have young interns during the summer,” Bueley said. “Charlotte is basically all banking. So if you want to do wealth management, banking, or S&T, then Wells Fargo, BAML, and UBS are the places to go.” Bueley already lined herself up with a business internship for a company in Richmond, Virginia that she loves.

Marketing: Chicago, Ill.

The windy city seems to have internship opportunities for marketing majors swarming the city (pun intended). Emily Weiss, a junior marketing major at the University of Florida landed herself the internship of a lifetime. This upcoming summer, Emily will work with a team on marketing projects, learning about the Field Sales role and contributing to retailer growth as an intern for everyone’s favorite cereal company, Kelloggs. Hopefully her benefits include a lifetime supply of Frosted Flakes.

Besides being home to the second largest Kellogg’s office headquarters, Chicago houses other large corporations like Oscar Mayer, Quaker Oats and Tootsie Roll. “It is a center of commerce and there is so much going on that the excitement is a huge attractor and businesspeople like to surround themselves with like-minded people,” Weiss said. With a willing heart ready to travel and experience life, Weiss will weave her way through the hullaballoo of marketing-major heaven.

Government: Washington, D.C.

The heart of our country, D.C. is home to all things politics. If you’re a government or political science major looking for an amazing internship, access to D.C. is essential. Nolan Quinn, a sophomore government major at the University of Maryland, recently equipped himself (and his resume) with an impressive internship at the International Republican Institute in D.C.

“D.C. houses all major U.S. government and non-governmental organizations…organizations that deal with domestic and international politics,” Quinn said. Surely Quinn’s experience as an intern for a government organization will be vastly different in a different location. So basically, Quinn wins. He gets to work and play without going so far away. Hopefully this upcoming election year doesn’t cast out his ballot of working in D.C. post-graduation.

While basking at the beach sounds like a superb way to spend your summer, an internship provides experience and adventure, along with new and impressive experience on your resume. Remember a tan will fade but the internship on your resume won’t.

Updated December 9, 2015: We fixed an attribution error. In the “Engineering: Silicon Valley, CA” paragraph, “John Khaykin, graduate of UC Berkeley’s engineering program” is now fixed to include his proper year and major, “John Khaykin, a junior cognitive science major at UC Berkeley.”