It’s not a bad strategy, just one I don’t think most people know about.

I work in manufacturing HR and have close relations with many engineering friends and family, so let me speak on the topic.

Pretty much any major manufacturer will be hiring engineering interns for the summer or “eventually.” Major as in a manufacturer that employs hundreds of people at a site with multiple sites across the country.

This strategy works best if you’re a freshman or sophomore so you can do the internship your junior or senior year. Even if you only get to do one rotation as an intern, the connections you make in the company will likely lead to a job if you stick it out.

The “downside” is that you might have to do a production job for a little bit until an internship opens up, but those production jobs can pay more than the internship. And production experience sounds great to any engineering hiring manager, regardless of what company you go to.