how did you get your first internship?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hey i just finished my first year of EE at ucsd and i originally thought "ive only had 1 year of college, i dont know anything to get an internship"</p>

<p>but now im really bored of my summer job and would like to look for an internship because i met people who got some after their first year.</p>

<p>Did you guys just apply for one? Got a hook up? I work during the school year too, but since im sick of this job i wouldnt mind leaving it to work for something that relates towards engineering. Do any of you guys work part time during the school year for an engineering firm as an intern? Ideally, i would like to work during the school year for an engineering firm, but i can only put in so many hours.</p>

2

<p>I'm in the same boat. Working in a warehouse right now, wishing I could do something engineering related. I'm constantly looking, although it's hard because I go to CC and have zero connections.</p>

3

<p>Nsf Reu
.........................</p>

4

<p>My method: find local newsletters from the applicable engineering professional societies (in my case, it was ASCE for civil engineering) and send off my resume to every company named therein. Some of them actually had posted employment ads in the newsletters and were looking for interns, so if folks are actively hiring, that would likely be where they'd look for interns.</p>

5

<p>Well, my family owns their own engineering contracting company, so it was VERY easy for me; I just started working for them. Right now, we're completing most of the work on a BIG commercial development so large that it has its own interchange on the interstate through my hometown (it's a two exit town). We're working on bidding more mine reclamation and bridge work for the state right now. Plus I get environmental engineering experience through another company we own, but I won't go into details about that. My advice: use your connections and always NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. You never know when someone will offer you something, and it's never too soon to start building connections.</p>

<p>Anyways, reply if you have more questions.</p>

6

<p>Go to the career fair at your school; that's where I got my first job. Definitely defintely network with people like collegegraduate said. You can never have too many contacts. That's how I got my second job (through a friend). And of course, I passed the favor along; I got one of my friends an internship where I'm working now... the chain will go on indefinitely. You can always try your schools career services office as well.</p>

7

<p>Job fair and then mauled the interview.</p>

8

<p>Story:
Junior year in HS... managed to get JPL to interview me by networking my butt off. They showed me an engine I'd never seen before and told me to tell them what I could from the design. After I said, "Ap/Al composite propellant, 1000 Newtons and about 400 psi with an epsilon of 16" they said, "When can you start?"</p>

<p>You MUST network a lot. Work those contacts that you have. When you actually get an interview, actualling knowing your stuff will get you an awesome internship/job.</p>

<p>Currently, I am either a Summer-Hire for JPL/Caltech or an intern. I suppose that I am really a Summer-Hire but there is not much of a difference between the two. I will venture to say, though, that I have the coolest/best job on the West Coast.... all do to 2 things: Networking and a Passion for knowledge. </p>

<p>The cool thing is that (in my case) my job will not terminate at the end of the Summer. I have been asked to be a private contractor for JPL while I am at school and JPL would like me to work as much as possible. This all comes with a neat little bonus of a 216% boost in pay.</p>

<p>Listen, if you really know your $hit, any competent engineering employer will see this and will be extending you bigger/better offers right and left (if you are already working for them) . It is best to do this by working under a seasoned (but fairly open-minded) engineering and just put your learning cap on until you have a grasp of what is going on. After you have enough ground to conceptualize the system and everything, start asking specific questions and really take a good look at where the problem points may be. If you can catch a few gaps that your boss did not, you will impress the hell of off him/her.</p>

<p>By no means to I consider myself extensively developed in any one field (besides propulsion, for my age). I do, however, have a working knowledge of the basic theory and construction of many different types of systems. At this point in the game it appears that it is better to grasp a little of everything (on firm ground) rather than a lot of one thing and not variety.</p>

<p>In the end, you will know if you are successful with all of the aforementioned items if your boss and your boss's coworkers start coming to you to answer questions.</p>

<p>Good luck and have some fun on your career journey. Remember, it is how you get there, not necessarily where you get.</p>

9

<p>^wow, you sound like you really know your $hit</p>

<p>my problem is that i feel like i know $hit....my engineering courses last year were C, intro to digital deisgn, and intro to analog design. I don't really feel like i could contribute to any company....</p>

10

<p>Everyone feels that way at first.</p>

<p>When I started my first actual job in the real world a couple of months ago, I spent the first week feeling like I couldn't contribute to any company, too. Realistically, when you start out in <em>any</em> field, you can't actually contribute to anything, but so long as you've got a good basis to build on (eg, knowing your $hit), then you'll soon learn how to contribute. That's pretty much how it goes with internships and first jobs.</p>

11

<p>Yeah. I completely agree with aibarr.
It takes a couple weeks to get into the swing of things. But since you are young and openmined (hopefully), you will impress them with how fast you learn and such.</p>

<p>Within 3 weeks you'll be able to have real conversations with the pros.</p>

12

<p>I got an internship this summer (going to be a high school senior) by talking to engineers that I knew. It helped that I knew drafting, CNC, and CAD. The work that I am doing isn't as interesting as I would imagine working at the JPL is, but it pays better than many summer jobs, and the work is more fun. Networking is the key, and talk to your school's job center - places that have one intern likely will take another, especially if they have experience with the school.</p>

13

<p>Haven't got it yet, but I'll say how I'm getting it.</p>

<p>School has a co-op program. They hook you up with an internship; and if you want, you can apply to get one overseas (which I'm going to try for).</p>