Internships

Has anyone had an internship in their career field?

I'm looking at different internships and I'm just getting myself super nervous and excited. My plan (hopefully) is to do an internship this summer and next summer so I have two paid internship's before I graduate and that will hopefully give me more opportunities for a career. Plus, I'd really like to get some hands on experience in my field!

So for those that have done an internship, how did it go? Did you study before you went? If you did, did it help? If you didn't, did you feel lost when you got there?

Honestly, I'm just looking for some recomendations on what to do before and internship, during the application process, and anything else you can give me! Thanks!!!

With all the drama over unpaid internships, I don't think I'd ever do one frankly unless they could guarantee me work and it was MAYBE a summer thing. In my experience, unpaid internships run a bit like having a bunch of students doing labor for free and learning nothing with no real opportunities presented. with rare exception.

Application/interview wise, show your strengths, don't be afraid to tell them how badly you want that job and how hard you will work. Be professional, smile, firm handshake, study up on the place you are applying for

As for paid, I've had three and each has really helped me.
- The studying I did about the company was vital, the studying I did to prepare me about what to do was pretty much wasted, everything I thought I knew was torn down to be re-taught and done right lol

Brush up on your office work (excel etc..), get some outfits that say professional but that feel like you can still run, have a small arsenal of everything in your purse (makeup, deodorant, perfume, tape, stapler, lint roller, purell etc..)

Either way you are going to feel lost when you get there Your an intern. Be prepared to be lost, confused, picked on, ordered around, welcomed, criticized, uncomfortable, forgotten, yelled at, coddled, reprimanded, blamed etc... lol

Your phone is not an alarm clock, your phone is your backup alarm clock, get a real alarm clock that runs on batteries.

1) Seaworld. Which even though I didn't pursue the animal field, the experience alone had various programs and schools very interested.
If you are in the animal field, STUDY . Be the one who raises their hand, who knows the type of tools, who knows the scientific name, who knows their diet.. Don't want to feel like a know it all? TOO BAD. BE A KNOW IT ALL. IF THEY ASK YOU A QUESTION AND YOU KNOW THE ANSWER SAY IT. BE A SPONGE BUT A SPONGE THAT ALSO DID HER **** HOMEWORK.

I have had plenty of internships, none with other people my age as focused and going for the gold as those in the animal field. There aren't alot of dream jobs out there working in the big parks with this much hands on experience..

2) Legal firm. Vital. I thought I knew what office work was and I thought I knew what the legal world was like.. this place was like a huge wake up call. The networking alone and everything I learned was a big deal.
I also had to do a **** TON of grunt work. I went to starbucks at least 9000 times. I did errands at 2 am.
Learning to do excel properly and the beginning of coding was enough to make this experience worth while.

Go the extra mile and understand that if this was school, everyday would be a test. My biggest piece of advice would be don't get comfortable. You are always being graded. Don't let the other intern do it, don't wear your slippers to the office, don't do things halfway, be professional.

3) Movie production. A great opportunity wrapped in lots of drama. Taught me work ethic and to keep myself on my toes. If I was interested in the movie industry, this internship would've been vital.

Don't talk badly about anyone to anyone, even if they are gossiping.

That's it. Internships are great! Enjoy them! They are tough but they certainly helped my resume

I had two internships in my field (then changed my field 3 years later ... haha). The first I interviewed for when the company came to my college. I did research on the company, but the interview seemed mostly about who the guy liked vs intimate knowledge of the company or field. The second I got through word of mouth (a college friend had interned there over the summer) and they just did a phone interview. So I would say look at various channels as there are a lot of ways to find internships.

When you start, you're not going to know anything and you're absolutely going to feel lost. One big problem with internship programs that I've noticed is the employees at the company not adequately preparing, so you feel like you're not doing enough work. It's hard to think of things for interns to do sometimes, I get it, but it can be frustrating as the intern when they don't always have stuff for you to do and all you want is to show them you're a hard worker. I would just be prepared for that and ready to be pushy about asking people if there's anything you can do to help, any trips you can go on with them (I went on a couple factory visits with people in my department as an intern), etc. Some companies have great programs and the intern duties are clearly spelled out, and you won't have any shortage of work to do.

I would ask them about job prospects after the internship. Some companies hire a lot of interns every summer, but only have positions for one or two in the fall. Other companies only hire an intern when they need new employees, and want to test them out. I had one of each, and the second resulted in a full time job.

What field are you looking in? Is your major super specific? I currently work in microelectronics and the interns who come in from a microelectronics major seem very well prepared - they already have a lot of specific knowledge. I was a chemical engineering major and went into the food industry initially, so I had a lot of general knowledge (lots of very technical knowledge of oil production especially), but really knew nothing about food manufacturing, and that was expected. So depending on how specific your school program is, you may feel more or less lost when you get to your internship, but the people hiring you will probably expect that. It's definitely expected that you'll feel a bit lost about the business world in general, and any specific software or systems that they have.

Yes, two. One loosely related (early undergrad), one extremely related (late undergrad). Though I guess whether they would technically be called "internships" is debateable. They were undergrad level jobs related to be future career with the intent of skill building while also helping the company, which IMO is kind of the point of internships. And yes they were paid. I can't imagine anyone trying to pull off an unpaid internship in my field.

Really well. I had an excellent experience in both jobs both developed skill sets and built my resume which helped me later find a good job at a time when finding jobs was tough, and later helped me to change companies.

For the first one, no. I had been as prepared as I was going to get through certain classes and most of it was on the job training. For the second one I did but it was mostly doing background research on the products and history of the company rather than specific work I would be doing...I did research outside of work once I was already on the job and had a better idea what I didn't know

From my perspective, I would recommend relaxing, emphasizing any teamwork and former employment you have (eg. I was a leading member of several teams and had worked for seven years in a single job through JH/high school which, though TOTALLY unrelated [horses, what?] still showed work ethic and long term commitment) as well as what you're looking for and what you hope to bring to the table to help them. Be genuine, followup, dress appropriately, and cross your fingers

eThanks everyone! That all makes me feel a bit better. At the very least if I get there and feel lost at least I'll know it's not just me, it's just being an intern period!

Also, unpaid internship? MWUAHAH yeah...no LOL I so could not afford something like that lol All the internships I'm looking at are 40hrs/week for the summer (May-August) and a paid. Only problem is most of them do not help with relocation and most are elsewhere, though there are quiet a few in this state. So how to find housing and transportation is something I'm going to have to look at as well.


I've got a few different places picked out at this point but because I'm doing a BS in Mechanical engineering with a minor in physics, the exact kind of work is super varied. So varied I'm not sure exactly which one I want to do at this point. I'd like to do an internship towards the kind of engineering I eventually want to get into that way I have some experience in that same field, but hopefully some contacts as well. I just have to pinpoint what that means lol

At this point I am not looking to be offered a job, at least not right now. I'm more looking just for experience over the summer and something to pad my resume when I do graduate.

I know for a fact Auto Cad is a big requirement for all of the jobs, which I'm taking that class this coming quarter in Jan. So I'm going to make sure I know exactly what I'm doing there.

I definitely need to brush up on my Microsoft programs. I'm decent with them, but not great so there's definitely room for improvement there. I also need some better professional wear!


Can I ask you guys, did you move/relocate for your internship? I don't mean permanently, but did you have to go to a different state? If so, how was that for you, where you able to find housing just for the few months?

There was another question I really wanted to know, but I can't seem to remember. :/

Just popping in because this is/has always been my struggle.

In my field it's sometimes hard to find temporary housing and [almost] all positions that would be available to an undergrad like myself are seasonal. I have found that in almost all cases employers have been totally willing to work with me to help me find housing. Most of them are pretty aware of the local options and are really a great resource (especially if they hire out-of-state people on the regular).

The only big issue that I've encountered is finding people that will take pets: The U.S. government no longer allows animals to be kept in buildings allotted for employees, which means that I have had to find temporary placement during the summers (not a problem as I have lots of animal friends and easy pets), or pay for my own housing. However, it sounds like your internship doesn't provide housing? So you might have better luck finding a place especially if you are in a city (not much of a market for my type in the cities unfortunately!).

I was also surprised at how disorienting it was to fly out to a completely unfamiliar place, move into my apartment, and be expected to drive a motorboat down ten miles of the Missouri the next day If at all possible, give yourself some time to adjust beforehand so you can buy things...like food...and otherwise get settled.

omg a motorboat!? :yikes: lol :rofl1:

Well the dogs aren't going to be an issue most likely. My boyfriend will graduate in Late July or Early August if all goes as planned. So my internship will end when he graduates. I've made a payment plan for rent for myself so I've gotten rent completely covered for summer before summer starts, so he will be at our apartment, not having to worry about rent, and have the dogs here. Than when my internship is over I'll come back and take care of the dogs as he figures out what he wants to do. Though the bigger issue becomes, what will I do with myself on my down time without my dogs?

Yeah mine was also engineering though a different discipline. Sounds like you have a good plan to me


I didn't but I knew several people who did. They usually negotiated for housing before accepting the position, either the company paying for it or some sort of lower rate/setup through them. One stayed with a couple other interns for the company in a house they all rented together. Just kind of depends on what the options are, how the company is set up, etc. If nothing else they may have hired out of area interns before and can give you the names of the places where those interns stayed.

Yay engineering! I think internships in engineering disciplines are so important for future job prospects. What field are you looking to get into?

I relocated for both internships. I'm from Pittsburgh and went to school in update NY - first internship was in NJ and the second was in CT. One paid for my apartment but I needed my own car/transportation. For the second, I was on my own for housing and stayed in hotels (they paid a little extra for that) since it was only 1-2 months. That was really not ideal. Every other internship program I've heard of will at least help you find an apartment though.

Good luck! Sounds like you're on the right track.

Good to know, make sure to talk to the companies about housing! Some say housing negotiable/offered, but others don't mention it so I'll definitely have to factor that in to my decision.

Did you end up staying in the engineering field?

Right now I'm looking at place who specialize in aerospace, environmental or automotive industries for my internship. But to be completely honest, I have no clue. I keep flip-flopping between a bunch of different career choices. It's not that nothing interests me, it's that everything sounds far too interesting at this point I can't seem to just pick one.

I think right now I'm going to be doing a lot of research on which industry to go into, but I have a feeling I'm not going to know until I try it. lol Which is another reason I think the internships would be so helpful for me, to help me make up my mind.

Can I ask which area you work in? Is it what you were expecting when you first started out?

Yeppers. Love it.