I think I am going to quit my full time internship. Am I making a mistake?

Hello.

I am a Supply Chain Management major and I have 3 full time semesters left.

Back in December, I was starving for some experience in my field. Since my GPA is a tick below 3.0 (2.98), I was really looking for whatever I could get. One day, a girl in one of my business organizations I am in told me that the company she interns for is looking for a Supply Chain intern. I looked up the position, and it stated Global Supply Chain Intern. I interviewed and they had stated that this is a full time internship. Once again, starving for experience, I decided to attend school part time and work this internship. Keep in mind also, when I saw the posting for this position, it said January until May.

The internship is not what I expected. For 7 hours a day, I am doing tedious data entry, scanning files, looking at pictures to make sure all the boxes are on a skid, and looking to see if we have inventory for certain items. I get it, it’s an internship. Here is why I plan on quitting. I took this internship to learn about my field, and I haven’t learned a dang thing. I just feel like the data monkey. I also really messed up my school schedule, and now I am in the position that if I don’t take a summer class, I will graduate a semester late.

Basically, I am going back to school in the Fall full time, and am taking a summer class three days out of the week in the morning this summer. I really don’t think I can do the full time thing. One of the other main reasons I want to walk is because I am practically invisible. I have gotten zero feedback on anything I am doing good or bad. Often times when I have a problem, and I email the guy I am an intern for, he rarely responds back. The only time he ever contacts me is if he wants me to do something. When I had to start going to his office, and saying I wasn’t sure how to figure something out, he says he will look at it, and never get back to me. For example, I had an issue trying to process something. He said email so and so. I never got a response from so and so. He says to forward him the the email I sent to him, and that’s all that ever happened. I never found out if it got fixed, what to do if this happens again, nothing.

Everyday, I go to work, to data entry, scan stuff into the system, or go through this backlog and see if we have stock for the items. No one really talks to me, I am not learning anything new, and I am getting zero feedback. I’ve been busting my but to try and impress people, while the other intern basically sits on his phone all day. He basically gets a promotion. Possibly because he is graduated? I am not sure.

Remember how I said the listing said until May? Well, no one has said a word to me about an exact date or anything. I hope they don’t think I am going to keep working there and keep going to school part time. As a matter of fact, I told HR and one of my bosses six weeks ago I had a wedding to go to. They pretty much said they would follow up with me on what to do. Never happened. Keep in mind I was giving them reminders on this throughout that six weeks.

Luckily, I have one summer left before I graduate. Since I am so close to being to at least 3.0 cumulative (hoping after this semester I will be, currently doing well), I am going to really try my hardest to find another one. Or maybe even part time in the Fall. I just haven’t seen any part time internships for the summer. I can’t go full time with my summer class I need to take or else I graduate late. I just don’t know if I am making a mistake or not.

Doesn’t sound to me like you’d be making a mistake. The idea of internships is to learn and you don’t seem to be learning anything valuable or developing valuable business contacts where you are.

Is this a paid position ? Are you just a busy body there ? May be you should get a written recommendation letter from your mentor before you tell them.

It is paid. What do you mean busy body?

Do you learn anything new or just doing same thing everyday ? They just keep you busy.

I think as long as you give your two weeks notice, you are free to leave. It’s about two weeks until May so I think you’re safe. If they give you an exit interview, say something like, “Thank you for the opportunity–I think I’ve learned everything I can learn here about X and Y as a ground floor level employee and I’m ready to expand my skills in hopes of moving up. Please do keep me in mind if you have any full time positions I could grow into after (graduation date). In the meantime, can I use you as a reference?”

This way you get to move on, you have something for your resume, but you are not burning a bridge in case they actually do have better jobs you could get.

So you had this work Jan- now? Those are the dates you use on any resume. Good enough. And your expectation was ending in May. Fine. And if so, you don’t necessarily need them to confirm the end date in early April.

Agree about the reference. But mind your performance in the next few weeks. Not all interns get special attention- especially not when paid. Legally, it’s been unpaid internships that are supposed to have a mentoring component.

Same thing every day.

Same thing everyday.