It has been said that 10,000 hours of deliberate practice are needed to become world-class in any field. While that exact number may be up for debate, the point remains: practice leads you down a path to mastery. The path has begun for three college students with their summer internships at Spire.
Fast Company estimates that there are 300,000 student interns in the United States each year, with as many as 25,000 working in the advertising and marketing sector. With a sharp decrease in internships during 2020, 46% of respondents say the importance of internships has increased as a result of COVID-19.
Unpaid internships are still commonplace in the business world. But the National Association of Colleges and Employers reports the average hourly rate for a college-aged intern is $16.26. Generally, the closer to graduation, the higher the internship wage. A college senior, for example, averages 20% more than a student who just completed the freshman year: $17.47 versus $14.53 per hour. Similarly, the higher the level of the degree, the higher the wage. And wages vary by major and industry.
About 60% of college students reported having at least one internship as compared to just 17% of the class of 1992, according to Chegg. FinanceOnline goes on to say that 27% completed two internships, and 13% complete three internships while in school.
It’s not surprising that more and more students are seizing internship opportunities, and with good reason. An internship lets students apply classroom learning in a professional setting. But more importantly, studies show that having an internship experience leads to full-time job prospects and even higher pay.
Specifically, 70% of companies offer interns a full-time job, and 80% of students accept such offers. As a result, 56% of internships result in full-time jobs according to Fast Company. Students who accomplished an internship received at least one job offer.
Yello found that of recent graduates, 57.5% had internship experience while 43.7% did not. And completing internships increases job offers by 16%, according to CompareCamp.
In an interview with Fast Company, Command Education CEO Christopher Rim talked about how the vast majority of internships would be remote this summer. But in conducting intern interviews in the spring, practically all of Spire’s candidates sought an in-person experience to maximize their learning opportunity.
Resumes came from schools in Ohio, Missouri, Virginia, Oklahoma, and throughout the great state of Texas. With two in client service and one in creative, this is the largest summer internship class that Spire has ever had. And we couldn’t be more excited with our diverse and talented group. Let’s meet our 2021 summer interns and our next generation of marketers.
The Interns
Melissa Vidales, Designer (left)
Melissa is a University of Texas at Arlington design star from its College of Liberal Arts. She received the UTA Faculty Choice award, the AAF Fort Worth Judge’s Choice award, and is a multi-award winner at the Fort Worth ADDYs and United Designs Alliance Annual Design Competition.
Rachael Briner, Client Service (middle)
Rachael grew up in Celina, Texas, and today is a senior in the Temerlin Advertising Institute at Southern Methodist University. She is pursuing a degree in Advertising, Strategic Brand Management. She is fresh off of competing in the National Student Advertising Competition at the AAF District 10 level.
Julia Palumbo, Client Service (right)
Julia has definitely come a long way—1,087 miles to be exact. This former collegiate soccer player is now a senior in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, pursuing a degree in Business Information Technology. She is a member of the Pamplin Admissions team, and currently serves as the CMO of the university’s student agency, Prism.
We’re looking forward to an amazing summer with Melissa, Rachael, and Julia. We appreciate their trust in us to nurture their career journey, and we look forward to learning from them as well.
To stay up to date on Spire news, awards, and blog posts, subscribe to our newsletter.