Internship....where do you stand?!

[Vin211]

Has anyone noticed in the college course guidelines that they must complete an internship?

Has anyone experienced any difficulties acquiring the appropriate internship?

It seems that in today's American economic society there are very few internships available or jobs for that matter. Those who are able to get one are considered lucky. Believe me, I had to pretty much jump through hoops to get an internship that pays. Hahaha, yeah you heard correct, there are some places out there that offer the unpaid internships. Yeah that'll work, "the experience" will pay the bills!

I applied for about 25 internships before I found one programming a laser beam. Yeah a "laser" :::fire the laser:::. Has anyone else experienced difficulties in the search for internship employment this summer?

[Kims Robot]

Whether or not colleges require you to have an internship or not, other than in extenuating circumstances(ie family reasons, health, etc), you really need one if you want to be competitive in the engineering marketplace these days.

I am a key recruiter for Harris Corp, and we have probably hired over 100 college grads, and hundreds more co-ops/interns this year. 99% of the recruiters would take a student with a moderate GPA and real internship experience over the 4.0 student (although be warned, many companies do have a 2.8 min). The reason being that college gives you a good foundation to build your engineering skills, but NOTHING is like having been out in the work force. It reduces your learning curve if you already have a basic understanding of the engineering industry.

Lesson Here: get an internship no matter what it takes... and for the seniors, apply for every job you are eligible for... if the job market isnt great, you cant count on landing your dream job right off the bat...

I dont know what college you go to or plan to go to, but most of the colleges have some sort of career center (some better than others... Clarkson's happened to be excellent) that will help you find an internship. Now be aware, right after freshman year it is often hard to land a job without connections... but after that it gets easier (once you have had classes that are more relevant to their business).

If you get nothing else out of this post, take these two things:
1. DO NOT SLACK your freshman years of college... make sure that your GPA stays above a 3.0... classes will get harder!
2. Get an internship or co-op at any cost!! Even if you have to take it for free(but most pay really well)! It will benefit you in the long run.

[Erin Rapacki]

Originally Posted by Kims Robot

1. DO NOT SLACK your freshman years of college... make sure that your GPA stays above a 3.0... classes will get harder!
2. Get an internship or co-op at any cost!! Even if you have to take it for free(but most pay really well)! It will benefit you in the long run.

AGREED!!!
(so true, so true )

[Randy]

It's really about who you know.

[Ben Lauer]

Originally Posted by Randy

It's really about who you know.

I agree, and disagree.

Example: college freshman that I know
Pat (Mechanical Engineering): He got an internship at Delphi. His dad is personal friends with a Delphi Executive. He pulled strings and got him in. His GPA was very respectable among college freshman (>3.5) but he had no experience.

Chris: Another of my friends knew no one at Delphi, he had a very high GPA (>3.9) and he got an internship there. He had some work experience other than typical high school jobs, but they were not directly related to his field (Electrical Engineering)

Me (Mechanical Engineering): I do not have a high GPA (<3.0), but I have work experience from before college started in my field. I know my GPA needs to be higher, but I also recognize that my existing experience will go a long way. Especially if I can back it up in the Interviews.

Result: Get Experience, Get Good Grades, Use Your Recourses.
(Most people are willing to help you, you just have to ask them)

[KathieK]

Originally Posted by Ben Lauer

Result: Get Experience, Get Good Grades, Use Your Recourses.
(Most people are willing to help you, you just have to ask them)

Network, network, network! How many of you visit the pits and ask questions about the robot, but have never thought to ask about the mentors that work with the teams? They are an invaluable resource! Most adults, when asked, would be glad to spend a competition lunch break or other time with students to explain what they do for a living. This applies to all mentors (who may or may not be accessable in the pits), not just the engineers. Going to an off-season competition this summer or fall? Post a thread looking for mentors in your field of interest that you can meet up with. Ask about the company they work for, and if that company ever offers internships or job shadowing.

[Erin Rapacki]

Networking is important! Keep those business cards (and make your own to hand out too). Networking is easier when you're open to meeting new people, and meeting new people is easier when you have questions to ask them (heh, if they are willing to answer your questions they may be willing to offer other kinds of help). Don't monopolize the conversation, but let them know that your a college student and squeeze in that you're looking for related work.

Or make it easy on yourself; don't just depend on your luck in networking skills, but go to a school with a good coop/internship department who has connections to companies. That's how I got DEKA.

[phrontist]

I'm sitting in one of the offices/hangars of Aurora Flight Sciences. Much to my suprise I'm not being escorted out and slapped with ITAR violations but rather being paid to work here. What wonderous turn of events can I attribute this to? I got the job talking to the President of the company at VCU this year. So there you go. Now I'd better get back to work, or all the networking in the world won't save me.

(This is the summer vacation after my Junior year in highschool by the way)