Tech firm interns in Silicon Valley enjoy well-paid, perk-filled summers
Those lucky to have summer jobs at Google, Facebook or elsewhere in Silicon Valley are also well paid, but for many the work is the passion
Sitting in a kitchen stocked with free food, a handful of twenty-something Google summer interns weigh their favourite perks, but where to begin?
With bikes, buses, massages, swimming pools, dance classes, nap pods, parties and access to their technology heroes, it's a very long list. "Unlimited sparkling water?" someone says.
In the end, however, the budding Googlers are most excited about the work.
"The project I'm working on is super high impact, and I'm looking for ways to make my mark," says Rita DeRaedt, 20, who is studying visual communication technology at Bowling Green State University in the US state of Ohio. She admitted being a bit star-struck after she was assigned to a team headed by a designer she has long admired.
With summer's arrival comes an influx of thousands of Silicon Valley interns who are well paid and enjoy many perks. The young up-and-comers from around the world who successfully navigate the competitive application process are assigned big-time responsibility at firms such as Google, Facebook, Dropbox and Twitter.
Silicon Valley technology firms pay their interns more than any other sector in the United States, according to a Top 25 list of this year's intern pay by online career website Glassdoor.