S interned with a “Big 4” on the Management Consultant side. He worked on a team on an actual consulting project and yes was paid. He was offered a job after he graduates next year so I am counting that as a success.
DD is a rising sophomore majoring in CS. She was offered two paid internships this summer. After considering housing cost for the offer she got in SV even with partial housing stipend she decided to go with another company located in the same city as her University. She absolutely loved the company and people she worked with. She learned so much for this summer and was constantly complimented on the quality and timing of the work she did. Housing cost was not bad considering compensation she was receiving. She got a standing offer from this company for the next summer and excellent recommendation added to her LinkedIn account.
Son is a rising sophomore and a mechanical engineering major. He came home to the west coast in late April for the summer and had an interview with an engineering consulting firm the next day (he’d been applying remotely while still on the east coast for a few weeks prior.)
Landed job, worked all summer for a good salary. Loved it- it wasn’t mechanical engineering exactly- more civil than that but plenty of crossover skills since he did so much programming. He ended his internship a few weeks before he headed back to college. Days before his last day, they told him they wanted to keep him as an employee and he could work remotely from college at his leisure, billing hours as he finds the time.
They gave him two cash bonuses (recognition awards) during the summer. It was nice to have him home and working. I doubt he will come home to work next summer but who knows. He loved the projects he was working on.
I just started my senior year as a CS and Math double major (also minoring in music and dance).
I interned for an agency under a federal government department, doing math research. It was my second summer there- last summer I was part of a CS intern program. Pays really well, they take care of securing housing (although you still pay for it), and you accrue sick and annual leave as an intern. Plus its close enough to home, that I was able to go home occasionally on the weekends.
I already accepted an offer to come back full time there when I graduate in May.
S came home for the summer, very bummed with no internship in hand. But luckily, he was able to schedule an interview in Boston and land the job the very next week. Spent 10 weeks working for a non-profit - a small company so he got to do lots of different things. Attended several meetings with the CEO and even accompanied him to a customer visit. So, was a very good educational experience for S. The company also organized several events over the summer for their interns - had folks talking to them about resume writing/building, applying to grad school, teach for america programs etc. I think he came away with several ideas of what he might want to do next (he’s only a sophomore in college now, so he has plenty of time to figure this out!).
This internship also indirectly led him to apply and get an unpaid internship for the fall semester - his first day at that job is today.