<p>When I look at people's resumes posted to an engineering website, I did not see a single resume without some work experience--a ton of people have a retail position only or a simple office job, yet I see myself as the only one up there with nothing but volunteering with student organizations...</p>
<p>I currently am an incoming 2nd year (out of 3) in college that is on the verge (1-1.5 semesters away) of getting the appropriate electrical engineering coursework to qualify for many internships, yet I'm just not there yet... There are other reasons why I have not gotten a job yet such as a tight schedule, but I feel like not having work experience is one of the hugest factors.</p>
<p>When that time comes where my skills blossom, I want to have as sharp as a resume as possible to get an engineering internship as I do not have much time to get real experience before I graduate. </p>
<p>Should I go as low as hunting fast food jobs if I can't land an office job in the meantime?</p>
<p>What year are you?</p>
<p>Edit: A lot of AP credits is whats allowing me to get ahead.
It turned employers off last semester (I’ve also job searched some this summer) to hear that I was only a first year, yet it was a surprise that I was looking so early.</p>
<p>However, I’m not on pace of the average first-year as I am taking mostly upper division engineering courses next semester and am taking my last lower division course. The plan is to graduate by Spring 2016 in which I’m going to need experience beforehand… I hear some employers want to hire before Senior year yet not too early so I have to sharpen up right now.</p>
<p>My daughter will be a sophomore next year but from what she’s heard from friends and such, it’s hard to find an internship after freshman year. So next year she will try, her friend found internship easily after sophomore year. But you have to apply fall of previous year and that would make you a freshman at the time. So try again next year is my advice. Mine also finished all her lower level classes and will be taking mostly upper division classes. But she won’t graduate early, perhaps it’s easier to ease back the last year and spend time and energy looking for a job is my advice.</p>
<p>BTW, my kid has not got a single job. She was offered a job for this coming fall but I don’t know how long she lasts with the high course load.</p>
<p>Hmm. All the freshmen I know that looked for jobs found jobs, but they are with retail in which I’ve put more effort into my schoolwork instead of going that far into job search. They need the money to live on their own more than I do though.
–I too have a potential job with the university as a physics learning assistant, only if I can fix my schedule because a professor moved an important class around… </p>
<p>I suggested to my daughter to become a tutor but not sure if she gets it or not, good luck with the physics learning assistant job.</p>