<p>Hey everyone. A little background: I am in my senior year of mechanical engineering at my university. I have a solid 4.0 gpa and am also taking dual counting grad courses at my school that will count for a PhD in the same field. I also intern at an aerospace contracting company and TA for an undergraduate class in statics and dynamics. I live at home and have a full ride so money is more of a nice thing than a need.</p>
<p>Here is my question. My senior year is extremely busy. I am only interning 8 hours a week at the aerospace company which pays pretty good. My TA position is 20 hours a week and pays about 60% of that, but I enjoy it much more. I want to stop my internship, but am worried it will look bad or they will give me a bad reference. I worked full time this summer with them as well. I also would feel bad because they trained me this summer and invested a lot in me. I also told them I could work for them this semester as well, but now I am reconsidering that, after the semester has started.</p>
<p>They only have one person with a masters degree at the company and I want to get a PhD. They do a lot of design work, but I am more interested in research and other areas, which they do none of.</p>
<p>Would this hurt me in any way if I stopped working there? It is my first job related to my industry and I don't want to hurt my chances down the road. Their interests don't seem to match up with mine the more I contemplate it. What would be the best way to stop working there if I chose to leave? A two weeks notice? Thanks for any help you can give! </p>