How to Land The Ultimate Summer Job If Your Name's Not Obama

While most American teens spend their summers working at summer camps or at McDonald's, Malia Obama went to Hollywood. According to TheWrap, Obama scored a summer gig working on Steven Spielberg's new TV series called Extant starring Halle Berry.

Malia, an aspiring filmmaker, loved her time on the set according to a source at the taping. The source also quoted Obama, 15, as commenting on the experience, "My first time. This is a big deal!"

Malia spent a day working as a production assistant on the summer sci-fi series premiering on CBS. Malia helped out with computer shop alignments and even slated a take for a scene. There's no word yet if the First Daughter will spend more time on the Los Angeles set the rest of the summer. The White House declined to comment on Malia's summer job in Hollywood.

So you (or your child) want to follow in the First Daughter's footsteps and apply for a gig as a PA? Here's what they really have in store:

Upside- You learn to be a Jack of all trades on a Movie/TV set by helping support the film crew. Chances are you'll be assisting sound, lighting, camera, director, actors, writers, producers or even craft services. Other pluses include getting two free meals a day, wearing what you want and seeing an all-star celebrity in action. More importantly, you figure out what department you want to specialize in. You also have the opportunity to make connections with film crew members in those areas.

Downside – Unfortunately the hours are long, don't expect health insurance and there's little job security since when the 3-month shoot is over you need to look for the next gig. You can also expect low wages, lots of travel and plan to work in all types of inclement weather. The show must go on.
What are some skills PA's need to succeed?– Flexible, punctual (time is money), adaptable, resourceful, professional (no selling actors' gossip or photos to TMZ).

Extant premiere's on CBS on July 9.

Which Interns are Most Likely to Get Fired?

Accounting interns have a much better chance of scoring a full-time gig than interns in any other industry. So if you're looking for stability and security, an accounting major (and internship) may be the way to go.

That's according to a study from LinkedIn, which analyzed its 300 million+ member profile and discovered interns in the accounting space had the highest retention rate (or chance of scoring a full-time gig) at 59 percent.

Accounting firms treat their interns well, too. For instance, Big Four firm KPMG LLP hosts a workshop for its 1,200 summer interns presenting the Dos and Don'ts of office wear. They then give each summer intern $200 gift cards from Men's Warehouse, and Banana Republic. They also toss in a tie for men and jewelry for women,

"Today's interns are likely to become tomorrow's full-time staffers. More than 90 percent of U.S. interns receive full-time offers, and more than 90 percent of them accept the bids," says Kathy Schaum, a national campus recruiting director and a former KPMG LLP intern told the Wall Street Journal.

Of the 65 industries in LinkedIn's study, other industries with high retention rates for interns include computer networking at 47 percent and semiconductors at 40 percent.

Industries with the lowest intern retention rate are non-profit management and travel and leisure both clocking in at 19 percent.

What do these numbers really mean?

For starters, internships are two-fold. Sure the idea is that you work 40 hour weeks (or longer) for several months of your summer in hopes that come graduation time you'll hear, "You're Hired!" from that company you toiled away at the summer before.

However, internships are also a learning experience. What if you took an internship gig at a law office, production company or publishing house and hated it? Chances are you won't want to return there after graduation. Also, what if you interned near home or school but are planning to move to a bigger city when you get handed your degree.

Wherever you intern – you need to learn how to strategize and network starting from your first day on the job. Showcasing your work ethic, personality and willingness to learn and communicate are all traits that interns in every industry need to have.

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Where To Intern: Vault's Top 50

If you are in college (or have a child who is), it's time to start the search for a summer 2015 internship. While some people might think seven months is a bit too far in advance to start searching, they would be wrong. Competition to get an internship in your desired industry, much less company, is aggressive.

Internships act as a solid bridge between the academic and business worlds. Good internships connect you with great contacts, experience and a good working understanding of the industry. The best internships provide you with tangible training, relationship-building events, hands-on experience and career development seminars. Vault.com recently released their list of the Top 50 Internships for 2015.

Vault surveyed 5,800 interns at 100 different internship programs for theirInternship Experience survey. The survey was based on the following criteria: "quality of life, compensation and benefits, interview process, career development, and full-time employment prospects."

"Today, 40 percent of all entry-level full-time hires in the U.S. are sourced through internship programs," according to Derek Loosvelt, a senior editor at Vault.com. "This means that, for those looking to work for the most desired and admired employers in the country, internships are no longer a luxury but a necessity."

10 Best Overall Internships for 2015:
1. Bates White Summer Consultant Program
2. Elliot Davis ENVISION
3. Frank, Rimerman + Co. LLP's Summer Internship
4. Bain & Company Associate Consultant Intern and Summer Associate programs
5. Northwestern Mutual Internship
6. Plante Moran's Internship Experiences
7. KPCB Fellows Program
8. Evercore Advisory Summer Analyst and Summer Associate Program
9. CapTech Summer Internship Program
10. Anadarko Corporation Summer Internship Program

Vault, in addition to ranking the Best Overall Internships, also ranked internship programs in seven industries: Accounting, Consulting, Energy, Financial Services,Investment Banking, Media & Telecom, and Retail & Consumer Products.

Best Accounting Internship: Elliot Davis ENVISION
Best Consulting Internship: Bates White Summer Consultant Program
Best Energy Internship: Anadarko Petroleum Summer Internship Program
Best Financial Services Internship: Northwestern Mutual Internship
Best Investment Banking Internship: Evercore Advisory Summer Analyst and Associate Program
Best Media & Telecommunications Internship: AT&T Finance Leadership Program
Best Retail & Consumer Products Internship: Kohl's Information Technology Internship

According to Loosvelt, the company has been studying, surveying and ranking employers for quite some time. Mainly focusing on consulting, law, banking and now expanding into consumer products, tech, energy, media and entertainment. Why study the internship programs of these industries?

"Internships have been growing in importance, as nearly half of all entry-level full-time jobs at the top employers in the country are now sourced through their internship programs. So we found it important to give readers a better sense of the best internship programs out there, and to give them information about what it's like to intern at top employers as well as how to get these internships," says Loosvelt.

Loosvelt says Millennials are looking for jobs and careers that have meaning.

"Of course, prestige and salary are still important to Millennials, but I don't think they're the most important factors by far (like I think they were to, say, Generation X). I think Millennials want to make an impact. They want to feel their work is meaningful (the definition of what's meaningful varies, of course, from person to person)," says Loosvelt. Some people might want to advance the tech field in Silicon Valley, others might find their meaning in charity, while others are spreading awareness via social media or through education.

"Millennials are very focused on career advancement and training," Loosvelt says. "They're attracted to positions in which they'll be able to make difference right away-that is, being able to contribute to their firm's success without much waiting/training period. And they want to know that they'll be able to advance quickly if they succeed. They shy away from strict advancement time periods. And I believe that Millennials are also less fearful when it comes to changing careers and entrepreneurship -- starting their own ventures. This might just be because it's easier to start businesses these days; for example, brick-and-mortar stores aren't necessary to begin because, in most cases, all you need is a web domain and an idea; it doesn't take that much money to get going."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Millennials will be the majority of the workforce in 2015. Loosvelt agrees that more companies (like the ones ranked in the study) are putting more time and resources into their programs in order to attract top talent and retain them.

There has been a major switch as companies have been putting a greater emphasis on training and development in internship programs. "This is partly, I assume because they realize it pays to do this. If you treat your internship program like one long training period (and now sometimes students will intern two and three summers with the same firm), once your interns start full time with you, they're ready to perform real work, not to mention they're apt to stay at your firm for a lot longer period of time that is, they'll be less apt to jump ship to another firm just for the money since they have a stronger connection (more loyalty) to you," says Loosvelt.

"Companies are increasingly offering better benefits and perks," he adds, "as they understand that Millennials are interested in flexible schedules (to raise families and/or engage in outside-of-work activities) and in having a community feeling at work, which wasn't so much the case with respect to past generations."