Most of these positions are paid
The spring semester has officially begun at most colleges, and along
with it the rush to buy the cheapest used textbooks and cases of boxed
ramen noodles. Freshman are doe-eyed no more and sophomores are
beginning to consider majors. Juniors and seniors walking into upper
level classes are already craving the end of the semester, when the
latter will be set free to carve out their first career moves.
Regardless of their expected graduation date, all students should be thinking about beginning or advancing their careers with a summer internship. The job market is still tough, and if this next few years are anything like the last,
young people who haven't spent any school time building up professional
networks and real-world job skills could find themselves in a tough
spot come graduation. Internships are one of the best ways for students
to get their feet wet in as many industries as they're interested in a
safe, short-term environment. And research shows there's a good chance the temporary position will turn into a job.
Because searching for and applying to internships is like an additional
class's worth of work, AOL Jobs has put together a list of the top
internship opportunities – most of which are paid – to lighten the load.
Check it out below.
1. Unum
Who are they? An employee benefits provider with 35
offices in cities across the country. The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based
insurance company is the largest provider of disability benefits
worldwide.
What they offer: Internships in marketing, finance,
actuarial, business technology, sales, internal auditing, underwriting,
human resources and IT
Location(s): Various
Compensation: Competitive pay and college credit
Apply for an internship at Unum.
Who are they? A Fortune 500 company that offers payment
processing and banking solutions, software and services. Headquartered
in Jacksonville, Fl., FIS employs over 32,000 people.
What they offer: Internships in web development, vulnerability management, technical writing and business, systems analysis and others
Location(s): Various
Compensation: Paid
Apply for an internship at FIS.
3. AT&T
Who are they? The Dallas, Texas-based wireless giant AT&T is the largest provider of mobile and fixed telephone services in the country.
What they offer: Internships in human resources, network engineering, big data and others
Location(s): Various
Compensation: Unspecified
Apply for an internship at AT&T.
4. CVS Caremark
Who are they? The CVS pharmacy chain has more than
7,500 stores in the United States, second only to Walgreens. It provides
pharmacy services through its over 7,000 CVS Pharmacy and Longs Drugs
stores.
What they offer: Graduate and undergraduate-level
internships at the pharmacy and in IT communications, quality assurance
testing, government services and others
Location(s): Various
Compensation: Competitive compensation is offered including a stipend for eligible candidates
Apply for an internship at CVS Caremark.
Who are they? The electronic systems company designs,
develops and manufactures advanced defense electronics and systems. The
company was created after Northrop Grumman's acquired Westinghouse
Electronic Systems Group in 1996.
What they offer: Internships in hardware, software, mechanical and systems engineering, business development, communications and others
Location(s): Illinois, Maryland, California and Colorado
Compensation: Not specified
Note: NGES specifies that applicants should only apply to one internship
Apply for an internship at Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems.
6. Tires Plus
Who are they? Tires Plus offers products for the whole
gamut of automobiles, from compacts cars to SUV's. Along with Firestone
Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus is owned by Bridgestone Retail
Operations. And in sum, Bridgestone is the world's largest chain of
company-owned auto care centers.
What they offer: Sales and management internships
Location(s): Gainsville, Fla.
Compensation: Paid
Apply for an internship at Tires Plus.
7. ACT Inc.
Who are they? Originally abbreviated from American
College Testing, ACT Inc. produces paper-based colleges assessment test
akin to the SAT Reasoning Test. It offers tests in English, mathematics,
reading, science, writing.
What they offer: Internships in user engagement, policy
research, operations analysis, graphic design, business development and
marketing and others
Location(s): Iowa and Georgia
Compensation: $6,750.00 total for nine-week positions
Apply for an internship at ACT Inc.