"Anybody I talked to told me how hard it is to graduate from college and get right into a career working in the NBA," he said. "It's really difficult to get in, so they suggested get an internship, get your foot in the door, get to know some people and that will open more doors."

At Utah State University, about 1,943 students found internships through the school's career services office in 2006. Randy Jensen, assistant director of that office, said the school pushes internships heavily because of the resume and confidence boost they give students.

About 70 percent of those students end up getting full-time job offers with the companies they interned with, Jensen said.

"Employers look at internships as being a job. It's a good job market right now, but on the same token, you find a lot of employers that are going, 'Where's the experience? I want more than just you've been to school,"' he said.

Some majors such as finance and engineering have the highest number of internships each year, but other fields such as art and humanities also have some options, Jensen said.

Although internships are popular among students, Jensen said some students find it hard to juggle a crowded school schedule with an internship. On top of that, some internships are unpaid or only pay enough to cover basic living expenses.

"We think that in the long run the internship will get them further, but a lot of times students have to think about the short term, because they've got to get through school," he said.

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