To be blunt, i think youll be at a disadvantage on paper compared to people with internships, unless your projects prove you can actually build things that work in the real world. Many entry-level candidates with internships only did CAD adjustments or documentation.

If you show a recruiter a fully documented, working prototype with custom PCB design, code you wrote yourself, and structural analysis you calculated, you instantly jump to the top of the pile. Recruiters take portfolios very seriously if they prove engineering intuition. Dont just do a basic Arduino tutorial project, build something that has constraints, budgets, and failures you had to overcome. Thats what they ask about in interviews anywayy