summer internships

Consider a spot in the outdoor industry.

Nature is your playground. You love the outdoors and are looking for a job that lets you work with plants, animals, and other natural resources. Here are some ideas for summer internships in this field:

• State or national parks
• Farms
• Nature centers
• Botanical gardens or arboretums (like the Arnold Arboretum)
• Zoos

If working in an office isn’t your style and you have an interest in science, consider applying to an aquarium or zoo. In addition to getting hands-on experience working with animals, these positions can also offer paid training programs on topics like animal care or conservation biology.

Get some experience working at a museum.

Museums are a great place to learn about history and culture. If you want to work in the field of museum studies, it’s important that your internship experience is at a museum that supports this kind of research. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a list of museums with programs related to preservation and restoration, including internships.

If you are not interested in becoming a curator or art historian but just want experience working at a museum, there are many other options available as well. Museums do much more than display objects; they often offer educational programs for visitors as well as staff members who want to learn more about their fields of study.

Help out with book sales at a library.

Many libraries offer internships, and they’re a great place to start looking. Interns often help out with book sales, so if you’re interested in working in retail or marketing, this is an excellent opportunity. You can work at either the children’s or adult section of the library, depending on your interests. Another option is to get involved with the local events that take place here—whether it’s a reading club for kids or an author speaking series for adults.

Consider an internship with a nonprofit.

Nonprofit organizations are a great way to learn about the world of work, and a good place to start if you’re looking for an internship. If you’re passionate about a cause or just want to do something meaningful with your time, working at a nonprofit can be an excellent way to make a difference. And since non-profits tend to have smaller budgets than companies, they often have more opportunities available for unpaid internships.

While some nonprofits only hire full-time employees with bachelor’s degrees, others are happy to train entry-level employees—meaning that getting in at the ground level could lead right into paid work once you’ve gained experience and demonstrated your abilities.

Look for opportunities in your hometown.

If you have the option of staying close to home, take it! Staying local will allow you to have more support from family and friends, which can make all the difference when you’re on your own for the first time. It’s also an excellent way to network with people in your community who are interested in the same things as you are. The experience of working on a project that’s right at home is invaluable—especially if it involves opportunities that interest you personally. You may find yourself inspired by the issues facing your hometown and want to get involved or even create change in one way or another. The summer can be a great opportunity for this!

Consider jobs in the local government.

Try to find an internship with the local government. Local governments are great places to get experience because they are generally much smaller than state or federal governments, making them easier to learn in. You can utilize this knowledge when you go on interviews for larger jobs later in life.

Look for opportunities with local journalism outlets.

• Journalism
• Writing
• Editing
• Social media
• Multimedia reporting and creation (photos, video) or multimedia storyboarding/production. Interns will be expected to use their own equipment to create multimedia content. If a student’s school does not offer this kind of training, they should be prepared to learn how to edit audio and video files on their own computer. We recommend that students bring an external hard drive or thumb drive with them as well as any necessary software for editing on their own laptop if possible.

there are more options to consider

At this point, you’ve probably considered a few different local and national internship opportunities. But there are more options to consider.

• Look at companies in your area that aren’t usually known for summer internships but may have exceptional programs. If you’re not familiar with the business environment in your area, spend some time researching which companies would be good places for interns to work and talk to someone who works there about what it’s like on a day-to-day basis. Then use this information when deciding if the company would be a good fit for an internship program.
• Consider global opportunities: Are there any international companies that do business in your state or country? Consider reaching out to them about their internship programs even if they don’t currently have one established! Remember: all it takes is one person at a company (or multiple people) who believes in your talents and wants to see them grow!