3 Best Data Analyst Internships to Apply For

Now more than ever, securing data analyst internships has become a top priority for budding professionals in the field. 

After all, at a time where recruiters are placing more value on the demand for work experience when hiring staff, internships are the fastest path to full-time employment. 

The stats are revealing. 

According to Compare Camp, in 2019, approximately 56% of interns became full-time entry-level staff members at the organizations where they interned. 

The same stats also point to an elevated preference for the completion of an internship when hiring between an intern and an outside applicant for a given job. 

It also helps that data analyst interns, unlike some other types of interns, are handsomely compensated. PayScale shares that the average hourly rate for interns in data analysis stands at $19.60 with reported wages of as much as $34.77 hourly. 

The key to securing an internship that offers you the best working conditions and overall experience is to know which one to apply for.

This is exactly what I’m going to be addressing in this blog post. 

Come with me as I break down what data analyst interns are responsible for as well as three of the best internships that any data should have their eyes on. 

Let’s dive in. 

What is a Data Analyst Intern?

A data analyst intern is someone who has been employed for a limited time period to offer support to the analytics department of a company or business.

Usually, an intern in data analytics is either a student or a recent graduate who does not have yet work experience in the field. 

Data analyst internships are thought to be a type of entry-level job. However, that is a gross inaccuracy. 

An intern is a short-term employee who has been integrated into an organization for the principal purpose of sharpening a given set of skills that will be instrumental in their professional development. Interns may or may not get paid, and usually, they are not offered an elaborate benefits package if any at all. 

On the other hand, an entry-level data analyst forms part of the company’s official staffing. Consequently, they receive cash compensation as part of their onboarding incentives, and in some cases, enjoy additional perks under some type of benefits plan.

This does not mean that a data analyst intern cannot become an entry-level data analyst. In fact, as I hinted to previously, many data analysts launch their careers through the path of an internship which eventually landed them an entry-level position at the company they work at.

What Does A Data Analyst Intern Do?

Before getting into the responsibilities of a data analyst intern, it must be stated that these are generalizations. 

After all, it would be impossible to list every single task that a summer internship program in data analytics demands from the intern as each one’s responsibilities will vary according to the company they’re interning at as well as their job type (full-time or part-time). 

However, despite the differences in employment type, there are some general duties that interns in this field share. 

These include: 

• Interpreting data - One of the major responsibilities of data analyst interns is to make sense of a company’s data. Due to the nature of their program, the intern tends to shadow a senior data analyst, business analyst, or data scientist (someone who has veteran status as an analyst) or work alongside an entry-level data analyst. That way, they offer the company the support they need while learning from the professionals in the field. These types of tasks usually involve maneuvering Machine learning software, SQL or Python, and using applications such as Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint for improved data management of data sources.
• Generating reports - A data analytics intern has to participate in the creation of reports for the company where they work. This usually involves using a software report generation tool to compile data into a simple format that’s understandable so that the people who need to access them can read and understand your findings. 
• Participating in data mining - As data analyst interns, you will be requested to help in discovering patterns or trends in a batch of large data sets. This is the type of work that most research analyst interns love to do because sharpening their problem-solving skills will be crucial in their success when they move up the ladder whether it is in the organization or in another business. In doing so, your job description or job title will imply that you need to practice data visualization.

3 Best Data Analyst Internships

Credits: SimplyHired

The first data analyst internship that you should have your eyes on is the one that KKI Capital offers. 

KKI Capital is a company that partners with asset management firms, corporations, and investment banks to offer wealth management services to those who need them.

Needless to say, one of the first reasons that any aspiring data analyst should apply to this job alert is the pay. According to the site via which this post was advertised (Simply Hired), the estimated compensation offered ranges from $96,000 to $140,000 annually. 

Considering that this company is willing to invest so much money in a summer intern speaks not only to the value they place on training, but it also suggests that in all likelihood, KKI Capital will be interested in keeping the intern for a long-term partnership. After all, the chances that a company will invest so much in an intern only to let them go after a few months seems unlikely. 

What’s more, given the business model of the company, one can expect that they work heavily with big data. Consequently, apart from the payout, with all the financial data analysis that needs to be done, it’s likely that an intern will get to really sharpen their skills with KKI Capital.

Besides, the requirements are not as stringent as other data analyst intern positions. Usually, companies request at least a Master’s degree. However, in this case, they are willing to onboard an intern who has a Bachelor’s degree. The company also seems to value predictive analysis since it has specified that the candidate has to have some skill in forecasting.

Credits: Simply Hired

The next data analyst internship that I’d like to bring to your attention is one with PayPal.

Being one of the largest online payment systems in the world, it is undeniable that PayPal has the type of work environment in which a data analyst intern would thrive. 

Not even counting the sheer amount of data that the company needs to analyze and process, compensation-wise, the estimated $72,000 - $98,000 annually offered by the company is attractive enough for any budding data analyst to want to join. 

Above all, in the job posting, PayPal explicitly states their interest in hiring the successful candidate as either an intern or a full-time employee. This means that in all likelihood, if you apply as an intern, you’ll have a path to full-time employment at PayPal. 

In terms of the qualifications needed, PayPal has placed emphasis on the need to know data warehouse structures such as Apache Hive. In addition to these data structures, the candidate must have knowledge of operating systems like Linux and open-source software facilities like Hadoop. 

That said, in terms of academic qualifications, PayPal is flexible in the sense that they are open to candidates who have either a Master’s degree or a Bachelor’s degree. While it’s not overtly stated, companies tend to prefer candidates who studied Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field. 

Credits: Simply Hired

Lastly, anyone looking to jumpstart their career in data analysis as an intern needs to apply for Myers and Stauffer LC’s data analyst intern position.

This company is an accounting and auditing firm founded in Indianapolis, Indiana. They have a 900-member team across twenty (20) national offices and have been operational for the last forty (40) years. 

Due to the nature of work that they do, it’s clear that a data analyst will have lots of accounting data to sift through. 

What’s more, the company has stated their interest to have this position as a full-time role. 

While they are initially advertising for an intern, chances are, they may be willing to bring you in as an official full-time member and join the ranks of the staff. 

In terms of requirements, similar to PayPal, Myers and Stauffer are looking for someone who has either a Master’s or a Bachelor’s degree. 

Myers and Stauffer also positively values both communication skills along with proven analytical skills. 

Additionally, they have emphasized the need for the candidate to have a solid understanding of Microsoft Office and word processing, among other needs. 

Data Analyst Internship: Key Takeaways

In short, data analysts interns are a fortunate set of hopefuls. Opportunities abound as companies are eager to take advantage of the brilliant minds that these types of professionals have. 

When it comes to choosing the company that you’d like to intern at, in as much as experience is valuable, you have the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone by getting paid for your data analyst intern job.

There are mega-companies such as PayPal who are willing to pay you a competitive sum with the hope of bringing you on to their team be it full-time or part-time. 

If you are based in the United States, you should take advantage of paid internships like these to kickstart your career, gain the experience you need to soar all while raking in some cash every month.