<p>I recently got an offer letter for a mechanical engineering internship from a very large company.. I'm very inclined to accept, but at the same time, I am still curious as to what other places I could get an internship at. It's still early in the year (at my school, most of the internship fairs are held during the spring semester), but the deadline to accept is December 1st.</p>
<p>My initial ambition was to intern/do research at a research lab,(for example, the one at John Hopkins) but having not applied seriously to all my options, I am unsure of my chances. Would you say that at a post-sophmore level, there is not much difference in the responsibilities of an intern? The one I got accepted for actually pertains to the industry I want to work in (energy), but I am not sure how cutting-edge the technology is, and how much room there is for innovation. However, I realize this is only a sophmore internship, so I am hoping the one at this company will be just as valuable.</p>
<p>BTW, for those who know about the energy industry, how interdisciplinary is the work in terms of job-mobility? Would someone working in a power plant be able to apply the same knowledge in developing wind turbines, solar panels, etc?</p>
<p>Hey, I work in the energy industry (oil...LOL).</p>
<p>If it's a company that you would be interested in working for in the future, I'd accept the internship. A lot of the interns my company hires end up getting full-time job offers. Engineers are in great demand.</p>
<p>Now, working as an intern at a power plant is going to be a big shift. A lot of young engineers have grandiose ideas that they're going to be working on cutting edge research and such. Likely, as an intern at an operating power plant, you will be helping out the resident engineers make the plant operate more efficiently. A lot has to do with energy balances and plant economics...this is likely where you'll gain experience.</p>
<p>The power plant likely runs on industrial turbines...Basic physics can be applied, but, the technology will not translate readily to wind turbines or solar panels, unfortunately.</p>
<p>thanks for the responses... UCB, I realize that my internship won't exactly be innovative, but what types of areas can working on a plant lead to? The company actually also has another location that manufactures wind turbines, and I believe I may have a chance to switch if I tell them; however, I am just unsure of which experience will be the most valuable. plus, unlike the plant intern, i doubt the wind turbine intern takes into account the "broad view" of things.. likely I will be focused on a small part.. </p>
<p>BTW, the company is general electric. what interested me about the company is the research they are conducting.. Would interning for them in this position give me a better shot at those types of jobs?</p>
<p>^ I would take the GE intern position. GE is the bluest of blue chip companies...very diverse, and you can likely move into many different areas, as a full-time engineer. GE is the leader in turbine and solar panel design.</p>
<p>Interning for GE would be a great experience. I would not pass it up.</p>
<p>Thanks.. I think one of my initial concerns was that landing the intern "seemed" too easy. I wasn't sure if this was the best that I could do, that I was challenging myself enough, since this is the first offer I've received so far.. I think I am just going to accept it, however, I am still interested in what you guys think of working at GE.</p>
<p>I'm sure GE would provide a great experience, but I want to second steevee's comment that you may have more autonomy at a smaller firm. The huge companies have organized programs and you fit into a slot there (probably you can find out ahead of time what that slot is). Smaller companies will probably be more flexible and give you a wider variety of tasks according to your abilities and interests. (At least this is what I hear from son's classmates, some of whom worked for GE). My son loved his internship at a smaller company. :)</p>
<p>But you have an offer letter from GE. If you are waiting to hear from others, you should follow up on those ASAP. At the same time, call and ask GE when they need your decision. If you have nothing else in the works, I would just go with GE. A bird in the hand....</p>
<p>I work for a division of a "supermajor" oil company that utilizes GE industrial turbines, so I've had interaction with GE employees (especially service engineers/technicians).</p>
<p>Full time GE jobs are very coveted. GE has top management, benefits, and is a very innovative and respected company, despite their size. A lot of people spend full careers at the company...very rare these days.</p>
<p>You will have the benefit of interning, and being able to "test the waters"...I would go for it. Tons of opportunities.</p>
<p>If I were you, I'd accept the intern offer and focus on my classes for the rest of the term, and not worry about it...a good situation to be in.</p>
<p>I too would take the GE internship. There's a lot of GE employee around here, and they really like their jobs, and it's a top notch company. I find it easier to go from larger companies to smaller... though I could be wrong.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all the great feedback.. I've thought it over for a while and I would definitely regret not taking the internship. At last, my search is over...</p>