Internship Vs. Summer Classes

<p>My daughter is a sophomore industrial and systems engineering major. She met with her advisor yesterday before scheduling her classes for next quarter. Her advisor suggested that she might want to consider doing an internship next summer. </p>

<p>My daughter took two classes this past summer and really enjoyed it--said it was fun learning when you weren't so stressed with a full load of classes. She has a lighter load this quarter because of it. She is trying to get her GPA up from a 3.07 to a 3.2 so she can keep her scholarship. She wanted to take classes again next summer. </p>

<p>My daughter then told the advisor that she would consider doing an internship but didn't feel she knew enough yet to work as an intern. The advisor said that companies know and understand this. </p>

<p>My questions are:</p>

<p>Can you work as an intern after two years of school and do something more than fetch coffee and make copies (so to speak)? </p>

<p>Would the benefits of an internship outweigh taking summer classes?</p>

<p>Would those who have participated in an internship or those whose have a child who participated in an internship share advice or experiences?</p>

<p>Thanks to all.</p>

<p>Ooooh, do an internship.</p>

<p>Interns and new grads know <em>nothing</em>. Companies understand this, particularly engineering companies. In fact, good engineering companies are entirely set up so that they teach young engineers how to do their jobs. School really just gives you the basic tools you need, but your job shows you how to use those tools.</p>

<p>Internships are great, but you can't always get them. They're highly competitive. I'd say that your daughter should apply to as many internships as she can, and if she gets one, that's great. It looks fantastic on her resume, it might later be parlayed into a real job or a good industry connection, or money for grad school, or whatever. If you can get an internship, you really should try for it.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if she tries for an internship and comes up with nothing, it's great that she'd be happy taking classes anyway. But she really does need to at least try for an internship, they're an important part of preparing for an engineering career.</p>

<p>Don't worry, your D won't be fetching coffee or making copies as an engineering student. :rolleyes:. She'll have work to do, and some places are good at keeping interns busy. In terms of work given, it depends on the company. Some may give a meaningful project which may be completed in about 3 months, and some give busywork out of the group's backlog (which may be boring)</p>

<p>great question, I have been wondering the same thing about internships that your daughter has (but without the summer classes part lol)</p>

<p>Do an internship. I regretted the one summer I did take classes.</p>

<p>Go for an internship.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Can you work as an intern after two years of school and do something more than fetch coffee and make copies (so to speak)?

[/quote]

Yes it's possible for a sophomore to do meaningful work at an engineering firm. I actually started the summer after freshman year and was given a lot of responsibility. I didn't know anything beforehand so they took their time to train me, as they do with all their employees with minimal experience.</p>

<p>
[quote]

Would the benefits of an internship outweigh taking summer classes?

[/quote]

The benefits of an internship will most likely outweigh taking summer courses. You learn a lot of things while working that you will never learn in a classroom, even after you get your degree. Professors don't always teach you how things work in the real world, though some are better than others in terms of this.</p>

<p>Another important thing is that you will have some experience on your resume, which will be key to getting a full-time job. It's just as important, if not more important than getting good grades in school. If your daughter leaves a good impression with the company, there's a good chance there will be a full-time job waiting for her when she graduates.</p>

<p>Something to consider is to extend the graduation date. It's common for engineering students to graduate in 4 1/2-5 years because the load of classes is tough and students do internships/co-ops. If expenses are not a problem, I would highly recommend doing this.</p>

1 Like

<p>Our son is a sophomore majoring in CS and he has an interview for a summer internship this week. So he's in interview prep mode. I think that internships are even more important given the current economy as they give you a decent edge after graduation. They might even open up additional options such as sponsorship of your undergrad expenses or for further studies after graduation.</p>