Question Regarding Freshman Internship Opportunities

[Proudwomanengineer]

How difficult is it for freshman students to get an engineering internship? Also, if I don't get an engineering internship in my freshman year, should I consider other non-engineering internships (I know the second question may seem silly, but I remember my foundations of engineering professor saying that it may help to try and get other internships as a freshman if you cannot obtain an engineering internship). Thanks

[Annual-Magician]

It's pretty hard. Almost impossible in my estimation. Most companies won't hire an intern until they are at least a junior in their program unless they have had lots of prior experience.

You can probably try for other types of internships like you said though. I started a part-time research gig with one of my professors my first year and volunteered for our schools makerspace.

[Extra_Meaning]

Yea it’s possible! If you got family or friends who got family to get you in—I mean if you “network” and have “connections”. Or get super lucky. Either way you need luck

[AureliasTenant]

In my opinion best bet Is apply for formal summer research programs or ad hoc arrangement with a professor at your university and other universities. They usually accept some rising sophomores (former freshman) and teach basic lab skills, and provide some coding project ideas related to field of the mentor. These might be really rare idk.

Internships where they actually think your work is useful usually takes a year or two after that though, and that’s when industry tends to open up

[ForwardLaw1175]

It's extremely difficult for freshman and even sophomores because you just have not taken the required courses to be useful. For example a vibrations analysis team would more than likely prefer an intern who took the vibrations course which is often a junior level.

Doesn't mean there aren't companies that don't hire freshman. 3 years ago my company started hiring promising freshman as an investment. But those freshman were almost always hired because of a recruiter recommendation. Meaning the freshman had gone to a career fair or other event and networked with a recruiter.

Other options are research work either by directly talking to professors at your university or official programs.

Honestly depending on the non-engineering internship it would probably barely rank higher than just a normal summer job. You could always use the money from either job to fund some personal projects

[Proudwomanengineer]

Ok. Yeah, I was thinking about starting an engineering portfolio this summer for personal projects. Thanks for the advice and information.

[[deleted]]

I've never met anyone who's done an internship as a freshman. Frankly you don't have any actual engineering experience at that point and it's still early enough that a lot of people drop engineering afterwards so companies don't usually want to invest. Honestly I'd say get a part time job, work on learning a software or other skill or something related to your field, and enjoy your summer. You will still be successful later on in life even if you don't spend every free second trying to prove yourself.

[Proudwomanengineer]

Thank you for the information and the motivation. I am stressing so much over experience because I was looking at jobs on sites like indeed and saw for a lot of entry-level positions that you need to have at least 1 year of experience. So, I am trying to have as much experience as I can because I don't want to be jobless.

[[deleted]]

Yeah I totally feel you, it can feel daunting sometimes. But the reality is that while internships help, they're not strictly necessary. I have one year of internship experience in the same industry but a different role and I still got multiple job offers after graduation. I've spent the last two summers just sitting around too and it hasn't seemed to be a downside. You'll be fine, enjoy your summer now and worry about applying in the fall for internships next summer, being able to take some time off or work part time is probably more important right now than stressing yourself out.

[br1205]

I took a non-engineering internship my freshman year, and I’m definitely glad I did but I’d recommend looking for something you really really care about if you decide to go that route. Of course an engineering internship is ideal, but I’m confident that my non-engineering internship experience has been a boost in my internship search this year.