<p>I currently attend the University of Toronto, and I know that with my 2.0 GPA (class average 2.7), I won't be the best candidate. I'm hoping that I'll do better my sophomore year and the schools will look more at this. I don't know whether to go into electrical or software engineering and I've only been exposed to very little of either so I expect a summer of microsoft office and the like.</p>
<p>I don't really need a paid internship, but how would I go about looking for a summer internship? Do I get to know my professors and ask them for recommendations (like networking)?</p>
<p>When do I start looking?</p>
<p>How did you guys find your jobs? I've noticed that most of the internships posted online either a) have qualifications much too high for me or b) don't ever reply back to me.</p>
<p>My professors had connections and helped some of my classmates get jobs. Or sometimes alumni would let professors know of openings. </p>
<p>When I was a sophomore, I had upperclassmen friends who worked for companies that were looking to hire interns, and they were usually asked to help recruit.</p>
<p>Then you have the standard job fairs and online applications.</p>
<p>Also make sure to stop by your school’s career center.</p>
<p>The internet is pretty much a waste of time when it comes to applying for most jobs. The response rate for internet based applications is abysmal.</p>
<p>I would recommend joining a Professional student organization aka IEEE since it seems like you are a EE/Computer Eng. You will meet more upperclassmen with experience gaining those internships in your area/school… opportunities are different at every University I am sure. Most EE students at my Uni do not get internships until summer after Junior Year since most companies know you have not taken the bulk core EE classes until 3rd year. Software eng probably varies since it is based on your programming exp. I would recommend getting into Research/projects with a professor/grad student pre Junior Year since that will help establish experience in applying your engineering knowledge. I feel that will help you stand out. I personally I got my internship at a top company through a friend that I met in IEEE with just ok grades. And once I got in I helped my other fellow classmates get in as well.</p>