<p>Hey everyone, I'm planning to graduate this fall with an EE degree at Purdue. </p>
<p>Unfortunately I had a very good chance to intern at an engineering firm that deals with power system protection very close to my home, as I know a senior manager and two directors there, but they were having budget cuts this year so they couldn't afford to pay me. </p>
<p>Another position was in Chicago for an equipment testing engineering firm, in which I knew the CEO - again, they were having budget cuts this year. </p>
<p>So I'm ending my undergraduate program with no internship experience. </p>
<p>My GPA upon graduation is a little under 2.8, my major GPA is above 3.0, and I have a strong interest in the power industry.. have many relevant courses and relevant projects to the field. </p>
<p>I was wondering, realistically, if my chances at a full time job upon graduation are low? Are there many companies that are willing to hire a recent graduate as an intern and then promote him to a full time employee?</p>
<p>And also, is there any benefit to taking a course on microprocessors and advanced C programming, meaning is there any chance at getting a job based off those courses?</p>
<p>Couldn’t you have just volunteered at the firm close to your home? You could have just lived at home, volunteered, and worked part time bagging groceries or something. </p>
<p>As for your job prospects I don’t really know…</p>
<p>I offered to work unpaid but they never acknowledged that. I heard from somewhere that for certain engineering positions you can’t work as an unpaid employee due to laws and regulations… meaning if something goes wrong it wouldn’t be right for it to happen in the hands of a volunteer.</p>
<p>A lot depends on your other work experiences. I assume you’ve worked in some capacity for at least the past 3 summers and possibly worked during the school year as well. Consistent work experience won’t make up for field-specific experience, but it’ll help. If you have absolutely no work experience, I’d make sure you take care of that this school year.</p>
<p>Personally, I love this approach! A lot of small companies do this because the employment laws for them are more lax. Larger companies do not tend to do this. </p>
<p>Seriously though, go to the career fair in the fall, and talk to as many companies as you can. Don’t whine to them about not getting internships. There is nothing that turns me off more than a whiner. Whining about personal connections not coming through being the reason that you don’t have any experience is a sure turnoff. Most people don’t have personal connections and do just fine. </p>
<p>Just go with lots of resumes and an open mind and you will see that there are people that will be interested in you.</p>
<p>Find a way to get experience - even if it means volunteering or lower pay than desired. New engineering positions are out there, but the competition is tough and companies highly selective - don’t limit yourself geographically. They want to see leadership, teamwork and someone that can do more than just academics. Have a solid “plan-B”. If no job lined up, then consider a masters program (Engineering or MBA) and get involved along the way. It’s all about building a resume and making yourself the candidate the company is looking for. As is said - “Begin with the end in mind”.</p>