I don't think I have enough engineering work experience to get a full time job?

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>I'm a undergrad senior going to be graduating in May 2012. I don't think I have enough engineering work experience to get a full time job. All I have is an internship at NASA and a research assistant position I had for a couple semesters. I didn't get internships the other summers because I changed my major several times and had mental health issues. Will I be able to get any job? I'm scared about the economy and I'm getting very depressed about this stuff. What should I do?</p>

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<p>… You are good enough to have had an internship with NASA …</p>

<p>I’m pretty sure you can get a full time job if you aren’t that picky.</p>

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<p>But don’t employers want students with the most internship experience? I only have 1 summer. Don’t most students usually have 2-3 summer internships?</p>

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<p>An internship at NASA is quite a bit better than most people have on their resume</p>

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<p>There are a few things to consider. First, let’s assume that you have a decent GPA (something better than 3.0), interview reasonably well, and attend a decent school (a top 60 or 70 engineering school). In that case, there really are three tiers of experience:</p>

<p>0 semesters of relevant experience - you should be able to find a job even with no experience as long as you’re not too picky. It probably won’t be a great location, it probably won’t be the best pay in the world, but you’ll probably find a job. If you’re in this situation, you need to apply anywhere and everywhere that will take your resume, though. You might have to work outside of your engineering field, consider international assignments, and/or consider non-engineering positions such as technical sales.</p>

<p>1 semester of relevant experience - under this case, you become a much, much better candidate. Now you can be a little picker and you’ll probably end up with a better salary, location, and company than in the previous case. You’re also probably going to end up in your field.</p>

<p>2 or more semesters of relevant experience - I say “or more” because there isn’t much difference past two semesters. In this case, you’re a very good candidate and should be looking at the well known companies in your field for excellent pay.</p>