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Job outlook for technical interns in the United States
Technical internship job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected technical internship job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 83,100 new jobs for technical interns are projected over the next decade.
Technical internship salaries have increased 9% for technical interns in the last 5 years.
There are over 116,216 technical interns currently employed in the United States.
There are 119,178 active technical internship job openings in the US.
The average technical internship salary is $38,417.
Are technical internship jobs in demand?
Technical internship job and salary trends over time
Technical internship jobs over time
Technical internship job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 116,216 | 0.03% |
| 2020 | 125,367 | 0.04% |
| 2019 | 64,977 | 0.02% |
| 2018 | 28,068 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 27,315 | 0.01% |
Average technical internship salary over time
Technical internship salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $38,417 | $18.47 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $37,151 | $17.86 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $36,310 | $17.46 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | $35,762 | $17.19 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $35,178 | $16.91 | +1.6% |
Technical internship jobs by state
Most common states for technical interns
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 273 | 39% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 175 | 28% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 258 | 27% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 187 | 25% |
| 5 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 406 | 24% |
| 6 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 206 | 24% |
| 7 | Alaska | 739,795 | 177 | 24% |
| 8 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 389 | 20% |
| 9 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 116 | 20% |
| 10 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,083 | 19% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,062 | 19% |
| 12 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 243 | 18% |
| 13 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 351 | 17% |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 228 | 17% |
| 15 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 185 | 17% |
| 16 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 180 | 17% |
| 17 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,133 | 16% |
| 18 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 568 | 16% |
| 19 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 486 | 16% |
| 20 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 471 | 16% |
Most common cities for technical interns
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frankfort | 9 | 32% | $33,244 |
| 2 | Annapolis | 10 | 25% | $44,133 |
| 3 | Lansing | 12 | 10% | $44,994 |
| 4 | Topeka | 10 | 8% | $40,908 |
| 5 | Hartford | 8 | 6% | $37,932 |
| 6 | Little Rock | 10 | 5% | $35,513 |
| 7 | Baton Rouge | 10 | 4% | $34,371 |
| 8 | Des Moines | 8 | 4% | $33,086 |
| 9 | Tallahassee | 8 | 4% | $35,847 |
| 10 | Boston | 21 | 3% | $42,873 |
| 11 | Atlanta | 16 | 3% | $34,246 |
| 12 | Indianapolis | 20 | 2% | $33,400 |
| 13 | Washington | 15 | 2% | $38,280 |
| 14 | Denver | 12 | 2% | $36,424 |
| 15 | Urban Honolulu | 8 | 2% | $34,551 |
| 16 | Phoenix | 20 | 1% | $39,139 |
| 17 | San Francisco | 8 | 1% | $48,368 |
| 18 | Chicago | 11 | 0% | $40,651 |
Technical Internship job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of technical internship experts
Grambling State University
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Gannon University
University of North Carolina Greensboro
University of Oregon
Mount Saint Mary College
High Point University
Virginia Military Institute
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
George Washington University
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Rowan University
Arizona State University
SUNY at Binghamton
Siena College
DePaul University
University of Alabama at Huntsville
Troy University
California Northstate University
Yenumula Reddy
IEEE Senior Member, ACM Senior Member, IARIA FellowGrambling State University
College of Arts and Sciences
What's a day at work look like for a Technical Internship?
Yenumula Reddy: It is entirely new world and lot of enthusiasm and many new faces. Try to adjust and socialize and try to have new friends. But, for a student had internship first day work may not much difference.
My students share their experience and I saw this difference between the student had internship and the one entered without.
But it is an unforgettable day.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Interns?
Derek Nazareth Ph.D.: The pandemic will have a lingering effect in several ways. The current holding pattern on hiring that characterizes many organizations will subside as organizations move towards normalcy. However, a number of practices that moved online will remain that way, due to convenience and cost, including recruitment and on-the-job training. Graduates will need to be more savvy in terms of working independently, as well as communicating and collaborating with others in remote fashion. Other practices that organizations were experimenting with pre-pandemic have become more prevalent in some cases. This includes reliance on consultants and external workers as embodied in the gig economy. That would mean more competition for graduates from outside the geographical area. On the flip side, it also offers graduates the opportunity to compete in remote markets.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Technical Interns?
Derek Nazareth Ph.D.: General certifications are likely to be of little value in enhancing employability. Niche certifications, on the other hand, can be quite valuable, though they need to be well established and recognized. The TS-410 for example is will get you ahead if you are looking to work with SAP (a form of ERP software). There are a number of certifications popping up in the business analytics area, though none are well established, and it is unclear what impact they will have. One area that will experience sustained demand which has recognized certifications is information security. The (ISC)2 certifications are likely more valuable than others, but they are more advanced. CompTIA Security+ would represent an entry-level certification. In terms of coursework, business analytics is very much in demand, and provides the opportunity to work in a variety of industries.
What will help Technical Interns increase their earning potential?
Derek Nazareth Ph.D.: Adaptability. We live in a world with constantly changing technology and evolving business practices. The traditional jobs of yore are no more. Being able to quickly acquire new skills, learn new technologies, and apply them to different contexts, will ensure sustained employability and the ability to move ahead.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Interns?
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.: YES. You will see more remote work for computing graduates. Consequently, the need for more remote teamwork experience with tools and projects will become more desirable.
Apoorva Patipati Ramesh
Lecturer & Director - Graduate ProgramsUniversity of North Carolina Greensboro
Department of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Technical Interns?
Apoorva Patipati Ramesh: For students, courses and certificates that provide hands-on experience in skills like Tableau, Python, R, etc. can have a very positive impact on job prospects. Some of our academic graduate certificates also align very closely with industry certifications such as CISSP, CompTIA Network+ etc. These are highly valuable assets to have.
Hayden Harker
Senior Instructor, Head Undergraduate AdvisorUniversity of Oregon
Department of Mathematics
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Technical Internship job market given the pandemic?
Hayden Harker: Students should consider remote jobs if not going to graduate school. I suspect many businesses will keep some positions as remote ones.
What soft skills should all Technical Interns possess?
Hayden Harker: For math majors, there are many jobs that specifically use mathematical techniques learned in a specific course and you don't prove theorems in jobs. However, these students need to be flexible and willing to solve many different problems even if they don't necessarily feel like a math calculation. Solid problem solving skills and logical thought process are some of the greatest assets for math majors.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Technical Interns?
Robin Rosenberg: Certifications/Licenses/Courses--For anyone who is interested in a career in mental health treatment, graduate school and licensure in Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, or Mental Health Counseling is essential. For other professional careers at the Bachelor's level, courses or certification in care management is extremely helpful as that becomes more of the norm in the field of healthcare in general. Health insurance is changing, and one of the trends to keep costs down is to shift from a fee for service to a flat rate per patient. To make that financially feasible for the healthcare providers, there will be much more of an emphasis on prevention and wellness. Care managers will help to coordinate care and keep costs down by encouraging prevention, wellness, adherence to treatment for chronic medical conditions.
What will help Technical Interns increase their earning potential?
Dr. Michael Oudshoorn: Earning potential is attached to 2 things: technical expertise and life skills. The technical skills are essential in order to do the job, but to be truly successful and move up the corporate ladder you need to demonstrate skills such as clear and concise communication, honest and ethical behavior, interpersonal skills, and leadership. Being a good team member and contributing in interdisciplinary teams are skills that cannot be underestimated.
Youna Jung Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorVirginia Military Institute
Computer and Information Sciences
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Interns?
Youna Jung Ph.D.: Yes, the pandemic seriously impacts the job market. As employers have frozen hiring or scaled back their businesses because of pandemic impacts, job insecurity has increased especially in entry-level or mid-level positions. Usually, our CIS graduates have received job offers before graduation but only sixty percent of students were able to secure their jobs before graduation last year and others had to spend few more months to find a job.
Peter Schubert Ph.D.
ProfessorIndiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Interns?
Peter Schubert Ph.D.: New graduates who experienced pandemic lock-down during their senior year are impacted by the challenges of working in laboratories and working in teams. While some students still get these experiences, some teams that have been working for me operated at effectiveness levels not the same as prior to the pandemic. Because these capstone or senior design courses help shape teamwork, cooperation, and hands-on practical know-how, there is the possibility that upcoming graduates will need more supportive environments in their work life to gain these important skills.
What's a day at work look like for a Technical Internship?
Peter Schubert Ph.D.: Engineering is a team sport. Meeting face-to-face by Zoom or teams is not a complete substitute for working shoulder-to-shoulder with colleagues. The different configuration of on-line collaboration means more individual work, less socialization, and therefore the esprit de corps may not be as strong. Working with colleagues around the world has always been a part of engineering, and people are now more skilled at this. By not working within a cubicle farm or open concept collaboration center, without conversations at the water cooler, and over beers after work, means that interpersonal connections may not be as strong. I think people will miss this, and want to return to it, once restrictions are lifted.
What technical skills for a Technical Internship stand out to employers?
Dr. Matthew Shirrell Ph.D.: I believe that technical skills are less important to employers in the field of educational leadership than are dispositions, experiences, and orientations to the work. School districts and others in the field of education are not necessarily looking for leaders with a set of particular technical skills, in my experience, beyond the obvious understanding of the nuts and bolts of school administration and some experience with instructional leadership. If the last year has shown anything, it is that the entire circumstances of schooling can change very quickly and unexpectedly. Potential leaders who have shown the ability and willingness to adapt to changing circumstances, whatever they may be, will be particularly valued, I think, by the job market in years to come. In addition, leaders' backgrounds, training, and understanding of the areas I previously described- technology; cultural, racial, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity; and children's socio-emotional development - will all be valued by employers in the field.
How have salaries changed over time for Technical Interns?
Dr. Matthew Shirrell Ph.D.: Salaries have remained relatively constant, in general, compared to other lines of work. Educational leaders can expect to be well-paid, but they should also not go into educational leadership expecting to get rich. Educational leaders often work long hours, and are often expected to be on call at all hours of the day, including weekends. Relative to the amount of work that educational leaders engage in, and the challenges that educational leaders face, the compensation is not extraordinary. But educational leaders are rewarded in other ways, particularly by the influence their work can have on children and families.
What technical skills for a Technical Internship stand out to employers?
John Talburt Ph.D.: While employers like to see technical skills like Python and machine learning, they also value experience in more people-oriented and team skills like courses in change management, project management, data governance, and data quality management. These are areas where the technology problems are easier to solve than the cultural change issues.
How have salaries changed over time for Technical Interns?
John Talburt Ph.D.: I see salaries continuing to rise for data skills, especially data science roles. Data science salaries are now on par with and sometimes more than salaires for programming and software development roles. Companies are beginning to value people who can build end-to-end solutions from customer requirements rather than those graduates highly trained in just one particular technology.
These are the major trends I see from the perspective of our programs.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Technical Internship job market given the pandemic?
John Talburt Ph.D.: I see demand for data skills rising significantly. Due to their training, most of our graduates are being hired for data roles including data governance, data quality, data analytics, master data management, and data science. From the supply side, the pandemic has significantly reduced the number of international students coming into our program. However, this has been more than compensated by the increase in domestic working professionals enrolling in our online graduate programs. It appears that data professionals working online from home see this as an opportunity to also enroll in online graduate programs to upgrade their degree credentials.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Technical Internship job market given the pandemic?
Patricia Coughlan: Without doubt the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting both professional and personal communication. For nearly a year, we have been sitting behind screens. And despite tense shoulders, eye fatigue, and tech-neck (that is a real thing), the challenging screen time has taught us how valuable it is to possess good communication skills and the need to improve our communicative actions. Now more than ever, my students are realizing that the underlying assumptions of interpersonal communication that you cannot not communicate - "Hey, what's that going on in your background" and that communication is an interdependent process - "Why haven't you answered my email" are true!
Good communication relies on creating structure to our messages and to ensuring open channels to initiate and maintain relationships. Good communication requires time and acts of deliberation.
As I teach a course specifically designed for graduating college seniors who are transitioning to the workplace, I stress these assumptions. The impact of the pandemic is measurable. No longer can soon-to-be graduates attend "face to face" career fairs or interviews. A new dependence on online "mediated" platforms has emerged. Beyond what people think, creating a strong, effective, professional, yet personal, online persona takes lots of time, requires clear structure, real effort, and frequent upkeep. In the past students would focus on creating a strong resume based upon current professional resume trends, signing up to attend a career fair, and deciding what to wear on the day of the event to ensure professional appearance. Now students still need the polished, structured resume and professional look, but they also need to search for online events to attend, and spend numerous hours creating a grammatically correct, visually appealing, and professional online presence. They need to professionally dress for a remote interview, make sure that their background is professional looking, test their technology, and log on in advance. Finding the right platform is a challenge too. Do they use Zippia, LinkedIn, Indeed, another career site, or numerous sites? So, this spring while filling out forms to graduate and completing their studies, all students - regardless of major - have to be actively engaged in "online self-branding."
Hemanth Kumar Demakethepalli Venkateswara Ph.D.
Assistant Research ProfessorArizona State University
School of Computing Informatics
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Interns?
Hemanth Kumar Demakethepalli Venkateswara Ph.D.: The current batch of students graduating this year have all been equally affected by the pandemic. Newly graduated students are all facing the same challenge - the downturn in the economy which will affect the entire job market. As always, if the graduate is able to stand out from the crowd, they will have a better chance at landing a good job. The converse is also true - a poor job market will make it difficult for more graduates to find good jobs. The trick as always is to be better prepared. However, this situation will not last forever. The end of the pandemic will revive the chances of landing a good job. So, graduates should not despair if they do not get a good job in these times. They must be prepared to invest more effort towards improving their chances by taking up more courses and earning new certifications.
There is no doubt the pandemic is a defining moment in this century. It has set the marker for a 'Before Covid' and 'After Covid' timeline. However, with successful vaccination, we will soon see the end of the pandemic and get back to living how we did before the pandemic. Nonetheless, the pandemic has demonstrated the possibilities and opportunities in online learning. In the post-pandemic era, educational institutions and online learning platforms will take advantage of the promise in online learning. There will be an increase in demand for online learning leading to more affordable college education. We will reach a new equilibrium in the percentage of online to in-person curriculum. Students will benefit by having the opportunity to attend classes remotely. The benefits of online learning will outweigh the challenges. With improvements in technology and standardization of online pedagogy, online learning will be of great benefit to the institutions, faculty and the students. In this way the pandemic will have an enduring impact on the lives of graduates.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Technical Interns?
Hemanth Kumar Demakethepalli Venkateswara Ph.D.: There has been increasing interest in data science with the rise of AI related technology. This has led to most students opting for data science and AI-related specializations. This trend will continue for the foreseeable future. It is therefore a great time to invest in AI-related courses and certifications. However, students need to have expertise in one or more core computer science specializations like programming, databases, distributed systems, systems software, networks, full-stack development, etc. This will enable them to take advantage of the boom in AI. An AI-related certification on top of core computer science specialization is a great recipe for good job prospects.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Interns?
Alexey Kolmogorov Ph.D.: I can say that we have received about 25% more PhD applications this year. It could be because there are fewer non-academic jobs available at the moment or because our department continues to grow. Unfortunately, several admitted international students could not enter the country and have had to defer the start of their graduate study.
What's a day at work look like for a Technical Internship?
Alexey Kolmogorov Ph.D.: I have been in touch with a few BU graduates who joined strong PhD programs last summer. Their experience is consistent with what we see in our department: experimental groups have been indeed affected by lab access regulations but theoretical/computational groups have adapted to the remote work quite naturally.
What will help Technical Interns increase their earning potential?
Alexey Kolmogorov Ph.D.: I think the biggest impact on the academic research has been the lack of in-person conferences. Online conferences are useful but they are missing a traditionally important element for the development of young researchers, which is students' informal interaction and networking outside of presentation rooms.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Technical Internship job market given the pandemic?
Jami Cotler Ph.D.: In the past I've known of tech shops offering work hour flexibility often with required face-to-face team meetings. I think the pandemic has shown across many industries that work can be distributed while maintaining a high level of efficiency and effectiveness. I think we will see more employees in the tech industry having more work from home options post pandemic.
I think the need for tech has also been both recognized and has increased as we have had to rely on it to track and report pandemic data. I think there has also been a great awareness of tech tools such as web conferencing tools such as zoom that have now become commonplace tools for everyone to use. Online delivery services have also experienced greater demand, which increases the demand for tech professionals to work in these areas as well. As I tell my students, it is a really good time to be in this industry.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Technical Interns?
Jami Cotler Ph.D.: At Siena we have started to encourage students to get AWS certified. We had a long break and many students took advantage of it to get their certification. We are strongly considering making it a requirement for future cohorts. Having an understanding of cloud computing is important and demonstrating this knowledge in the form of a recognized certification has offered a really nice impact and competitive advantage for our students. Another area of certification is in security. Many of our students earned security certifications over the break as well.
How have salaries changed over time for Technical Interns?
Jami Cotler Ph.D.: Overtime, I have seen that the competition to hire our students has increased and with this the salaries have also increased. When I first started teaching, some students had a difficult time finding a job after graduating. Now I'm finding that close to 94% of our graduates either have jobs or are enrolled in graduate school when they graduate. Another trend I'm seeing is more students pursuing their PhD directly from undergraduate school rather than going for their master's degree first. The salaries are very competitive for our graduates and companies are offering additional incentives such as free food, longer time off, etc. to find and keep talented students.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Interns?
Jacob Furst: Unlikely. While a significant phenomenon culturally, the pandemic has affected technology significantly less.
What will help Technical Interns increase their earning potential?
Jacob Furst: Anything you do in your work that goes beyond expectations will provide benefit later on. Extra education, certifications, volunteering for tough assignments, getting to know you coworkers better, creating a fun and interesting workplace for you and peers. Again, no magic. Always be looking for ways to be better.
Dr. Ravi Patnayakuni
Associate chairUniversity of Alabama at Huntsville
Information Systems Department
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Interns?
Dr. Ravi Patnayakuni: Most definitely, in my opinion. There are going to be lasting effects which many have characterized as 'acceleration' of change and 'dispersion' of how work is performed. In the short term, I expect it will be harder for graduates to find employment as hiring adjusts to the new landscape of remote hiring and remote work. For the long term, both the nature of work and sectors of job growth will change.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Interns?
Lauren Cole: We are currently seeing a trend of full-time employment at graduation falling an average of 10% over the last year, primarily due to the global pandemic. Though this may mean greater underemployment for a time and a longer wait for graduates to enter the workforce, thankfully the decrease was not quite as bad as first imagined. We do still have employers recruiting our students for internships and jobs, though the style in which they meet with students is now fully virtual. Since employers are now connecting with our students online, this has allowed for a greater variety of employers to be represented from a variety of locations outside of driving distance to campus. I believe the switch to virtual recruiting will be a lasting change in employer recruiting.
What will help Technical Interns increase their earning potential?
Lauren Cole: New graduates will have a stronger resume, allowing them to negotiate for greater earning potential, the more experience they come out of college with. An internship, for example, is one way students can both solidify their industry of choice due to on-the-ground exposure, while also fortifying their resume, showing employers they have real-world experience. If approved by an advisor, our communication students have the option of receiving academic credit for internships, providing the job meets the learning outcomes required by their program. Other opportunities may include a part time job within their field of interest or simply shadowing or discussing the daily activities of a professional in the student's desired job sector.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Interns?
Dr. Damon Meyer Ph.D.: Limited hiring and job openings due to the uncertainty in the economy. Some graduates may take alternative jobs instead.