Can't decide between summer internships or co-op

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>This is going to be a gigantic wall of text, but my situation is pretty complex and it's an important decision that I'm stuck on.</p>

<p>I am currently a freshman in Materials Engineering in Auburn University (though at the end of this semester I will be a Junior with 64 credits), and although I have volunteered a decent amount and done summer programs related to engineering, I have no actual down-to-earth work experience to speak of (not even a part-time job in high school). Yesterday I attended a co-op registration program, and the numbers are pretty impressive: 80%+ of the people in Auburn's co-op program are engineers, 20% of engineers here graduate with a co-op degree, and those who participated in co-op made more money on average than those who don't. I was surprised at how much the presenters pushed us to join it, they made it seem like an obvious choice, and that if you didn't co-op you would be pushed aside by those who did in the job market.</p>

<p>HOWEVER...</p>

<p>Even though my major is "Materials Engineering" and not "Materials Science", I am still heavily interested in theory. I am considering pursuing a minor in either physics or math, and I might want to get an advanced degree. I am 100% positive I will like my major, but at this point in my life at 19 years old I don't know whether I want to work in industry (leaning more on the practical side) or work as a researcher (leaning more on the theoretical/novel). I want to focus on nanotechnology and help develop new materials with unusual properties, although I don't think I would hate working with regular steel and concrete if I had to.</p>

<p>It seemed to me that co-oping was more for those who want to get a job immediately after graduating with a bachelor's as opposed to those who want to study more. In addition to pushing my graduation back another year, I will not have a scholarship that last year (as it only covers 4 years of study). If I were to end up co-oping AND going for a Master's/PhD, that extra year of working might be seen as a waste of time and money, as I would pay a year of tuition and graduate in 5 years instead of keeping my full-ride scholarship and graduating in 4.</p>

<p>I know I want to get some work experience, so my other option is to get an internship over the summer. Next week on campus there will be a summer internship fair with some big-name companies and government agencies coming and looking for engineers (Southwest, NASA, Dept. of Defense among others). These internships are all paid (I checked), and assuming I am offered one I could still get some work experience AND be on track to graduate in 4 years. It will also make getting a minor easier, as co-oping, getting an engineering major and a physics/math minor all in 5 years or less is really pushing it, even though I have lots of credits from high school/community college. One obvious negative is that most internships are one time only: if I were to decide to go straight to the workforce and say "screw my master's", I most definitely would have been better served by co-oping: I would have had more work experience with the same company (an entire year) instead of several different ones I briefly interned for over a few summers, and I would have had a higher starting salary/more responsibilities at said company.</p>

<p>I'm going to end up interviewing for both co-ops and internships, but when the offers come back I'm going to have to make a decision. Has anyone on this board done a co-op, internship, or both? What did you think? I know it's my decision in the end, but I honestly am 50/50 on both options at the moment.</p>

<p>Thanks for your time.</p>

2

<p>

I would disagree with that. I don’t have experience at Auburn, but from what I have seen, the vast majority of employers are very willing to bring back interns if they perform well. Why wouldn’t they? They’ve already spent the money to train you.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>That is if you do not return to the same company as a recurring intern. But even if you don’t, having multiple experiences in multiple companies and multiple industries can be an advantage. If a student has 4 semesters of work experience in a field, for example, it can be hard to find a position in another field (he’ll get pigeonholed). </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Companies do not distinguish between Co-op experience and internship experience. The salary differences cited to you probably had to do with former co-op starting salaries vs. students with no experience at all. Three semesters of co-op experience is the same as three semesters of internship experience. It’s all “experience”. You become an order of magnitude more employable from the first semester of experience (internship or co-op), you gain a little from the second semester, a tiny bit from the third, and almost nothing from subsequent semesters.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I’ve done both, I’ve hired both, I’ve mentored both, etc. At the end of the day, as long as you get 2-3 semesters of experience, you will be the same on the job market regardless if that experience came from co-oping or interning. </p>

<p>As you can see, it’s not so much of a clear cut choice. So what are the trade-offs between the two:</p>

<p>Pro’s for Co-oping:

  • You know where you’re going to work every semester, so there is less stress
  • If you work alternating semesters, you can “Tag team” a big project with an intern on the alternate schedule, you can rent an apartment both at school and at work and trade off between the two of you, etc.
  • It is much easier to find a position as a freshman (big advantage, here)</p>

<p>Pro’s for Interning

  • You can intern just during summers allowing you to graduate on time and be on campus during the “real” semesters when things happen (football, spring break, etc).<br>
  • You usually interview every semester, so you can keep your interviewing skills sharp (even if you go back as a revolving intern, you can still interview)
  • You can move between companies and fields and get broader experience
  • You plan your work schedule around research projects if you’re also doing that</p>

<p>What do I usually recommend? Professional Practice offices really hate when I say it, but I tell people to co-op as freshman (easier to get a job) in their first summer, then switch to an intern (either with that company or another) starting the next summer. If the student is set on a field (and the company is a “big name” in that field), try to stay with the same company. If the student isn’t sure, try out a few different fields via internships (part of the purpose of an internship is to explore your interests). </p>

<p>But just to make it more difficult on you - have you thought about paid summer research instead of working? Grad schools love that.</p>