By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Internships have long been a great way for college students to get their feet in the door at companies in the industries toward which their degree programs have been marching them. The trade-off has typically been that while the student has an opportunity to actually work, at a very young age, in the realm in which he or she would like to find himself employed full-time upon graduation, that sort of “fast pass” opportunity comes with the heavy-duty burden of being one that pays either nothing, or so little that it might as well be nothing.

Well, the times they are a-changing, at least when it comes to the field of high-tech. Students and recent grads armed with tech backgrounds and degrees are in such high demand that internships at companies like Apple, Twitter, and Microsoft will pay them well over $5,000 per month.

A few of the deals are pretty extraordinary; in the case of Apple, not only do some Apple interns earn up to $6,700 per month, but they also receive a $1,000-per-month housing stipend (or can live for free with other interns in Apple housing, which I’m sure is very nice). What’s more, if an intern needs to relocate to take the job, Apple will pay up to $3,300 in relocation expenses. Wow!

LinkedIn, Facebook, eBay, Google, Amazon…they’re all doing stuff like this. If you or someone you know has a strong tech background, or is going to school now to study in a tech-related program, I would, by all means, keep an eye on what’s going on with these companies (and the many others like them) in the way of available internships.