<p>just curious, is the only way to get experience is to get internships? and would you just go ask a company if they are having internships? or is through your school or what?</p>
<p>and i’m guessing the internships base their decisions on GPA and extra curriculars? seeing as you have no experience to start out with…</p>
<p>“Don’t count on this. Note that many employers require as a condition of eligibility that you are currently enrolled in an institution. I have known people that weren’t able to find work in the summer between because of this.”</p>
<p>That’s good information. Naturally, the places I’m looking at have programs specifically for this sort of thing, so I think I’ll be alright (assuming some company actually wants me, lol). Still, this is just sort of a passing fancy for the moment. I’ll probably just spend the Summer doing some research / assistant work somewhere, maybe at my ugrad. I’ve known a few people who did this, and it seemed to work out pretty well for them.</p>
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Sounds like you want to be in academia rather than industry (or perhaps R&D). In that case research experience is good. Otherwise, I think it puts you at a disadvantage by not doing an internship or co-op. Nobody is suggesting that you do an internship just for the sake of doing an internship. You should do it because you want to learn more about the field you want to work in (or the company you want to work with. </p>
<p>Internships are a “test drive” for both the interns and the employers. They get to see what you’re like and you get to see what they’re like without a major time and financial commitment. If you have no desire to work for them or a related company, why would you intern with them? It’s like test driving a sedan when you want to buy a motorcycle.</p>
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<p>The only way to get experience is industry is through internships. You can also do research for professors or through REU’s (formal summer research programs). Some companies will come to your schools career fair and recruit for internships. They may also post the opening on their website or on your school’s career services website. You can also find out by calling and asking as sometimes they don’t advertise it. If you’re lucky, you know someone or someone that knows someone at the company who can recommend you for the internship.</p>
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<p>They base it on GPA, interviews, and previous internship experiences (if any). They typically use GPA as a cut-off value; once you’re above a certain number (typically 3.0), it doesn’t matter anymore and the other factors become significantly more important.</p>