Summer internship right after freshman year?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I was looking at UIUC engineering career services' "personal development plan" which is basically their idea of the optimal path to a great resume. It makes suggestions on what you should be doing each semester (and summer!) all the way from 1st semester freshman year to 2nd semester senior year. For the summer after freshman year, they suggest that you should already have an internship lined up. What the hell? How common is this?</p>

<p>I already went and committed to a summer study abroad in Argentina (I wanted to gain fluency in Spanish). I have no regrets. I really wanted to do that. But I do want a general idea of how many people manage to get an internship right after freshman year to see what the competition will be like when I go to the fall career expo next year (with no work experience). Also, is a summer study abroad something worth mentioning on a resume? Thanks.</p>

2

<p>It's typically really hard to land an engineering internship with only one year of college behind you, and not a lot of people win out over juniors and seniors. I wouldn't worry too much. Your summer study abroad program sounds really exciting!</p>

3

<p>I managed to get a summer job with my state department of transportation after my freshman year (I'm a civil engineering major), so it's possible. They had visited my school's career fair, and I talked to them and submitted an application. I enjoyed it and it was a great experience, but it was pretty low pay, as with any government position. </p>

<p>From what I hear, most people aren't able to get an internship their first year, but it can't hurt to try for those who are still freshmen.</p>