STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) students have many opportunities for internships in Spokane and the surrounding areas. There are lots of different ways to find internships.
Internships available in the area can be found online, a few websites that we found include jobilize.com, joblift.com, glassdoor.com and talent.com.
“SpokaneSTEM might be a good place to reach out to,” Asa Bradley of the physics department said. “They work mostly with K-12 schools, but they may know some good college programs.”
Other places to look are the WA Department of Transportation and the National Park Services who often have summer opportunities.
Common requirements for an internship in these industries are for students that are currently enrolled in a technical discipline at a 4-year college. Common requirements are an immense knowledge in methodologies for the specific area of study, and targeted towards students approaching their junior year and students with availability within those certain time frames. However, these requirements vary between internships.
“With STEM internships students should be aware of a few things: Necessity for personal transportation, sometimes not paid, housing if outside of where a person lives (Pullman), if with the government, may need a background check and proof of citizenship or permanent residency, may need a few quarters of 100+ level college education in math or other skills for the internship (lab work, English, etc), STEM can also include health – may need background check if working with patients/elders/children,” Janae Carrothers, MESA director at Spokane Falls Community College said.
Lots of these internships are only offered during a specific time frame, so it is important to be on the lookout and stay on top of job listings so that you can apply in a timely manner. It is also vital to build a solid resume that stands out to employers and separates you from other applicants, because they get so many to sift through. Time is of the essence for a lot of the internships that we found, so now is the time to put yourself out there and apply.