The Summer is fast approaching. When you are young, who isn’t looking for that perfect summer job? Internships are a great way to gain experience, but where do you look to find them? And how do you know it’s the right internship for you?

Let’s face it – it still makes a little more sense to do the bit of extra work to find an internship related to your interests and future career goals than to take the easy way out and grab a job at the nearest fast food restaurant. And really, when it is 90 degrees outside, do you really want to be on your way home smelling like hot greasy fries? I don’t think so.

So how can a young high school or college student find a nice, reputable and productive summer internship? Look to the nice, reputable and productive larger companies for opportunities.

Every state has multiple larger companies searching for just the right summer intern to aid in just about any task. In Minnesota, companies like 3M, Target and General Mills patrol the local colleges and high schools for students looking to gain work experience and a little extra cash by joining their summer internship programs.

In the Bay Area, McKesson – leading provider of healthcare technologies – offers a Summer Youth Development Program which places area students in the corporate offices for 8 weeks. Here the students attend performance seminars and training workshops to prepare the students for the career world.

In each of these summer internship programs, larger corporations offer training on resume writing, business etiquette, interview performance, leadership skills and college and career options. Also, each student gains the experience of working with some of the most well-known and reputable companies in the world.

So students, look a little harder this year for that extra cash you need between semesters. The experience you gain is invaluable and can bring you to a higher professional level. For more information on McKesson's Summer Youth Development Program, visit mckesson.com