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Should I take internship?

Should I take internship?

  • Total voters
    78
RC4x4

RC4x4

Active member
Joined
Jun 3, 2020
Member Number
1794
Messages
34
Loc
ND
I’m a junior in college studying mechanical engineering. I got a job offer for a summer internship, but it’s only paying $16/hr and it’s 85 miles away. If I drive that’d be like $50 in gas a day. Right now I’m making $13 something working at the grocery store 2 minutes from my parents house where I’m staying. The way I’m looking at is if I take the offer I’ll get some experience to put on my resume, but at the same time I won’t really be making any more money and I’ll be driving 2.5 hours a day. Otherwise I might try and find a different summer job(probably non engineering) where I live that could get my foot in the door with another company, or at least make more money. What would ibb do?
 
At $50/day in gas, NO. If you can find a super cheap place to rent then i would do that because experience is important in that field i would assume.
 
Take the internship. I wish I had. It may build professional connections you can use later and adds to the resume.

Find a couch to surf close by to cut costs.

I did work at a grocery store... it is not on my resume. It taught me very little except how to fill a paper bag in the most efficient way.
 
buy a car that gets 50- 60mpg and take the internship. Or rent a room 2 minutes from the internship and take the internship. Internships aren't about the money.
 
I would take the internship. During my engineering internship I learned I’m not a desk jockey. I was the Intern that was out in the shop making shit and then giving it to the drafters to draw lol.

Im still friends and talk to the guys that still work there 15+ years later. It’s worth it in the networking department alone.

The place I worked at had a co-op house. A employee of the company rented a house to the coops for a couple hundred a month. It was a win for everyone involved.
 
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i would try to find an internship closer

however, i was not paid for an internship at a cable channel, but it was great filming and editing, etc..
 
I lived on a coach in another town over the summer for an internship. Helped me land a real job. Broke as hell during that time but well worth it.
 
Yes to internship. I wish I would have done it when I did my BS. I did during my masters.

In addition to relevant work experience history, you can also back your way into a job if you look impressive.

My internship involved a five minute call and I was in. About six months later, I was given a full time job with NO interview. Normal interview process is grueling multi-day of suck.
 
Your current job reminds me of a teacher who told me

20 years experience is much different than one year of experience 20 years over.

Take the internship, will suck a little now but your future will thank you
 
I would look for a different job, but I don't really get the internship thing, it's not relevant to my life and career. Seems like guys who have more experience in that field suggest it, so I'd drop your education now and go get a plumbing ticket.
 
Johann said:
Take the internship. I wish I had. It may build professional connections you can use later and adds to the resume.

Find a couch to surf close by to cut costs.

I did work at a grocery store... it is not on my resume. It taught me very little except how to fill a paper bag in the most efficient way.
Click to expand...

This. Find a new gf in the town where the internship is and stay there during the week. Work with your boss to try to do 4-10 hour days if possible (or even 3-12's).
Or try to find a cheap short term rental (some colleges rent out the rooms in the dorms over the summer).
 
I would take it. At your age I was skilled enough to secure a girlfriend in a new town in a couple of weeks. Then I'd have a place to stay when I was working.
 
Do you want to work for that company? If so, take it.

If not, get an internship at the company you want to work for.

This isn't an economics question.
 
I would do it. I work in SW engineering, and we always have interns except last summer. The good ones come back the next year for another summer or for full time, the bad ones are never seen again. So it is great for the people that are good at what they do and take it serious. The ones who end up joining the company get an offer letter and skip the interview process.

A downside is my company kinda takes advantage of the fresh out of college hires. They start out at a pretty low salary, and they really have to fight for good bumps in salary around the 3-5 year mark to make them competitive with people they hire with 3-5 years experience. It is about a 50/50 split of ones who stay on beyond 3 years, but my company contributes 25% of your salary amount to a PSP, and another 25% for PTO/healthcare. Basically you can do 20 years and retire if you start out of college.
 
Take it, I am part of the hiring team for my Dept (Multi Discipline Engineering Dept), actual engineering experience vs regular summer job will easily keep your resume out of my trash.

What do you drive that gets 9mpg? Find a sublet close by, I can't imagine renting a room is that much in North Dakota.
 
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What POS do you drive that gets only 10 mpg? Work weekends at the market to make some extra scratch. If the internship is actually relevant to your engineering degree, take it. You may learn a lot. If they like you, you might be in the front of the line for a job with them--or at least a strong reference. Also, per another poster, you might learn whether engineering is a job you actually want to spend you life doing, before it's too late. Also, finding a hole-in-the-wall apartment near the job is an option too.
 
It is for a good company. The town’s population is only like 1,000, but I found an apartment listed online for $700. I like the idea of getting a second vehicle to drive there too. I want to do some major work on my truck anyways so I could keep it parked then. I’ll think about it more tonight, and I appreciate the input.
 
Is the internship directly related to the field.you want to work in? Will it help you gain experience for your career? If not just go work in the trades for the summer. Id much rather hire a guy that worked in the trades and got some real world experience while he was going to school than a desk jockey who doesn't know how to work. :flipoff2:
 
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