Re: Internships
 

I think it's fantastic to see so many high school students interning at various companies. I've been on a few recruiting trips with my company and relevant experience (relevant sometimes being a pretty loose term) will definitely help you out. Grades are key as well, but work experience really stands out amongst a group of (usually) pretty similar resumes.

Some things to remember:

-Keep good records of things you do at each internship. A few years down the road, it may be harder to remember specifics of your tasks and accomplishments from an earlier internship. However, the more details you can give (especially in interviews), the better.

-That said, don't keep anything or reproduce anything (verbally or written) you shouldn't. Proprietary, export controlled, confidential, and private data are all very real things that should be taken seriously. If you have questions, ask.

-Remember what Mom always says, "It's not what you say; it's how you say it." Were you "inputing numbers into a database" or were you "helping a process improvement team better deliver customer solutions"? Don't lie about what you did, but odds are your "menial" task had a bigger purpose...find that purpose (again, if you don't know...ask).

-Finally, enjoy yourself. Walk around and talk to other engineers, technicians, mechanics, sales people, lawyers, program managers, etc. Most people will jump at the chance to talk to a younger person. Ask them questions about what they're doing. Do they like this company? How long have they been here? What other jobs have they had?