Navigating Esri's Student Programs
Are you looking for ways to advance your career? Do you like to learn new things? Do you like having fun? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you've come to the right place!
I’m Joe from Esri’s University Programs team and I want to tell you all about our two student programs: our Student Assistantship Program and our Summer Internship Program. Let’s get started!
Esri’s Student Assistantship Program
What is Esri’s Student Assistantship program?
Esri’s student assistantship program is an opportunity for students to get a behind-the-scenes look at the magic that goes into planning and attending one of Esri’s annual conferences.
In exchange for working a half day in support of the conference, student assistants receive free registration, hotel accommodations, a meal stipend, and numerous networking opportunities that may lead to career opportunities.
To make a long story short, help us to organize one of our specialty conferences and experience the conference yourself for free! There is no better way to be immersed in all things GIS!
Which Esri conferences host student assistants and when do they take place?
There are four conferences throughout the year that we recruit and host student assistants:
- Esri Federal GIS Conference in Washington, DC in February.
- Esri Developer Summit in Palm Springs, CA in March.
- Esri Energy Conference in Houston, TX in April.
- Esri User Conference in San Diego, CA in July.
What kind of tasks are assigned to student assistants?
Student assistants may be tasked with various roles and responsibilities to help support the conference that they attend. These roles and responsibilities might include:
- Staffing the conference registration desk to help check-in attendees and answer questions about the conference.
- Maintaining and tracking attendance in conference plenaries and technical sessions.
- Stocking and staffing merchandise booths.
- And more!
What else can I expect from the student assistantship program?
The student assistantship program is a fantastic opportunity to dive into the world of GIS, whether you are brand-new to the industry or an experienced GIS user. As a student assistant, you will have full access to conference sessions, networking opportunities, career growth opportunities, and more.
If you want to get a better idea of how the student assistantship program can help to advance your career, check out this video testimonial from a previous Esri student assistant: Student Assistantship Opens Door for Colombia Student at Esri UC.
I also recommend checking out these blog posts all about the student assistant experience:
- Mapping Dreams and Forging Connections: My FedGIS Student Assistant Experience
- First-Timer's Adventure: Navigating the Esri User Conference as a Student Assistant
- The Power of Networking at Conferences: For Students and Emerging GIS Professionals
I’m sold! What are the requirements to apply for a student assistantship?
- Who can apply: Esri’s student assistantship program is open to fourth-year undergraduate and graduate students who have an interest in applying geospatial applications and concepts to their studies.
- When to apply: Student assistantship applications are posted on September 1st for conferences taking place in the following year.
- How to apply: Interested students can apply for our student assistantship positions online at esri.com/careers.
This all sounds pretty great, right? Well, don’t go anywhere...
we haven’t talked about Esri’s summer internship program yet!
Esri’s Summer Internship Program
What is Esri’s Summer Internship Program?
Esri’s summer internship program is our biggest and most robust student program. Each summer, we hire more than 100+ interns to join us at our world headquarters in Redlands, California, or in one of our select regional offices across the country.
Esri’s internship program is 12-weeks long with flexible start and end dates to accommodate students’ academics. All internships at Esri are full-time (40 hours a week) and are paid fair market wages.
Check out this video for more details! Esri Summer Internship Program.
What kind of projects do interns work on?
We hope to provide all of our interns with opportunities to flex the skills that they already have while providing them with opportunities to learn new ones – and we do that by placing interns on real teams and with real projects.
To learn more about some of the projects that Esri interns work on each summer, take a look at some of the testimonials from former Esri interns below:
- Josh (Information Science and Technology)
- Hilda (Software Development)
- Lucy (Professional Services)
- Aote (Software Products)
What else can I expect from the internship program?
To ensure that each of our interns are well supported throughout their internship experience, we pair each intern with a daily mentor to provide invaluable, 1:1 mentoring. Daily mentors help to ensure that interns have all of the tools and resources they need, help to create networking connections, answers questions, and more.
In addition to ensuring that our interns are well supported professionally, we also want to make sure that they are well supported socially.
Esri’s University Programs team provides an additional layer of support to ensure that interns are well adjusted to Esri’s culture, workplace standards, and learning and development opportunities… but we also like to have fun!
Every day of the week, for all 12 weeks of the internship program, the University Programs team hosts events and programs that include:
- Monday Meet-Ups: casual programs that help interns to ease into their week by connecting and building deeper relationships with their peers.
- Tech Tuesdays: hour-long workshops designed to provide interns with insights into some of the cutting-edge tools and technology being used by Esri staff.
- What’s Next Wednesday: opportunities to meet with and learn from senior leadership at Esri to hear directly from the source on how our different divisions are run.
- Training Thursdays: professional development workshops on a number of topics like DISC Assessments, Public Speaking Trainings, Resume Workshops, and more.
- Fun Friday: exactly what it sounds like! Time dedicated to having fun and easing into the weekend, usually with activities, games, and more.
Check out this blog post to learn more about how an Esri summer internship can impact your career: How My Internship Shaped My Career
This all sounds amazing! What are the requirements to apply for a summer internship?
- Who can apply: Esri’s summer internship program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as students graduating in the spring semester.
- When to apply: Summer internship applications are posted on September 1st of each year, and we continue to accept applications through December. Our summer internship positions are filled on a rolling basis, so we recommend applying early to ensure your application is considered!
- How to apply: During each year’s application window, interested students can review and apply for our summer internship positions online at esri.com/careers.
So, as you can see, there are a number of opportunities here at Esri to continue to grow your career and professional identity.
Whether you are considering our summer internship program or one of our various student assistantships, we can’t wait to meet you and see the amazing things you accomplish!
If you have any questions about our student programs, please visit Esri Student Programs or contact us at university@esri.com. Thanks!
Joe @ Esri