<p>This may be an odd question to ask here, but I'm asking here because this is ultimately linked to my getting a job as an engineer in the future.</p>
<p>I'm 20 years old. I only have ONE previous job that I can actually use (working at subway for 2 days and Amazon for 3 weeks isn't going down). I worked at Walmart for just under a year. There, I was one of the most bragged about employees. A lot of the managers told me that they were happy they had me and my friend (and co-worker) there because we were the only two who took the job that seriously. Problem is, when I left that job, I didn't give a notice. What actually happened was, I had been working outside a lot, and the temperature was above 105 often, and I got very ill and didn't go back to work because of it. Obviously I got better, but I was fired for not coming back. I should have just quit and gave a notice, but I didn't. I don't know if I should even use that job on an app either. So, here I am, either with no job history or only one job. I'll be 21 right after the Fall semester starts. This summer I have way too much to do to work, so my plan was to work for the University (doing anything I could find) starting this Fall and each following semester and try to do internships on the summer at some point.</p>
<p>What my question boils down to is this: am I going to be totally screwed being almost 21 when school starts this Fall and having essentially no usable work experience? Or is it relatively easy to find some random job working for a University?</p>
<p>Any advice would help.</p>
<p>And in case anyone thinks about mentioning the summer, I truly don't believe I'll be able to work this summer. There are lots of legitimate reasons.</p>
<p>Well… the post graduation jobs are more likely to go to those who have relevant internships or co-op work experience. But it does not sound like you are in your junior year of college now, and you have at least one future summer when you can try to do this. But every single summer of relevant work experience matters when you are hunting for a post-graduation job, so give some really serious thought to those “legitimate reasons” and make sure they are worth skipping a summer work experience that could give you a leg up later. You can probably get an on-campus job just to earn money, but those aren’t really big factors in the job search unless it is somehow in your field.</p>
<p>I’ll just now be a sophomore this fall. If that. Technically, if you only count the classes I’ve taken at the CC that actually transfer to the uni for equal credit, I’ll just be a freshman. I probably should have mentioned that.</p>
<p>I can’t get an internship for two more summers. And internship is very important to me, and I’ll never let anything get in the way of that. Working at the local Dollar General is what essentially giving up this summer. One really important question is: when applying for internships, how important is it to have non-job related work experience? If I keep up my current trend, I’ll have a good gpa.</p>
<p>This is confusing… why can’t you get internships for the next two summers? If it is THAT important to you, then what is blocking you? Typically engineering internships are paid, so I assume it is not just a financial thing. If it is family responsibilities, I assume you are away from home during the school year – so don’t understand why you would have to be at home in the summer.</p>
<p>Is the time to apply for internship like when you’ve actually took some major-based courses? Like for me, I’ve only took Physics I/II , Chem I/II, and Cal I,2,3 , and nothing in petroleum yet. It wouldn’t make sense to apply for intern for oil/gas company until I at least had 1-3 course for petroleum engineering right?</p>
<p>That’s what it is^ I can’t apply for an internship because I haven’t had ANY relevant courses. I haven’t even had the physics or calculus series yet. I’m a freshman, and I’ll still be a freshman when I’m 21 this Fall. I’ll have taken:</p>
<p>General Psychology
Applied Professional Math
Applications in Algebra
Microsoft Office
Introduction to Business
Written Communication 1
Written Communication 2
Oral Communication
Business and Technical Writing
Introductory Physics with Lab (Not equivalent to Physics 1)
General Chemistry (Not equivalent to Chemistry 1)</p>
<p>Only 6 of those classes transfer for equal credit at the Uni (20 hours). The rest I took to supplement my two short years in high school.</p>
<p>What did you do and how did you get a job at Amazon?</p>
<p>What do you mean what did I do?</p>
<p>I had a job at Amazon as a customer representative.</p>
<p>My bad work history is related to my lack-of-a-vehicle. I’d get a job, like at Amazon, and be able to go to work using someone else’s car, but then something would come up and I wouldn’t be able to use their car 5 days per week anymore. Amazon was strict - 5 days a week or nothing. So I gave up after that. That was my last job, and that was in 2011. By the time I’m at the Uni I should have my own vehicle. I’ve been saving up for a while now. Luckily I only go to school two days per week, where I’m taking two English courses online. Two days per week is the maximum that I can use a car until I get my own.</p>
<p>Of course you can apply for an internship. Companies know that most freshman/sophomores won’t have any relevant coursework.</p>
<p>I know I could technically apply for an internship, but what are the odds that I would actually get one with absolutely no engineering coursework?</p>
<p>Also, for those that do apply, is it necessary to have a previous work history (not engineering related; just any work history) to show that you’ve worked before? That’s my main concern.</p>
<p>I agree that you are light on coursework… so maybe not this summer. But the next summer you should be able to get something. They do like to see that you have done SOMETHING. Just to show you can show up on time, get what it is like to have a boss, etc. But they don’t expect a lot for an intern. If I were you I would be a lot more concerned about how long it is going to take you to graduate. It is usually very tough to finish the engineering sequence in four years to start with, and you haven’t actually started it yet…</p>
<p>I made an entire list of courses I’ll have to take at the uni that aren’t ENGINEERING courses a while back, so I’m pretty prepared in that aspect (at least for the first couple of years). I have a ton of financial aid lined up to last more than 4 years (several grants, and there are STEM scholarships I’m going to apply for later). Plus in-state tuition really isn’t that steep at this school. But, I believe that starting this Fall, I will be done 8 semesters, because I’ve already knocked out over a semester’s worth of courses I would have had to take at the University.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies everyone. I’ll work on my work history until I’m able to get an internship.</p>