Engineering Interships?

[NikolaeVarius]

Considering I have nothing better to do over summer break except study for tests. I've decided to look for an Internship in the area of engineering. Does anyone know anyplace that has a good program?


It seems like many places I look at require you to live within a 50 miles or so radius from the job, which is annoying

 

[gorcorps]

Most of the places I've interviewed and interned with look for those with a bit of experience... so sophomores or juniors in college at least.

 

[BarneyFife]

You'll likely need to be in college for most of them.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
You'll likely need to be in college for most of them.

 

[PCMarine]

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
You'll likely need to be in college for most of them.

QFT, usually you can get one after completing (at least) sophmore year of engineering related studies.

 

[KillerCharlie]

Originally posted by: PCMarine

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
You'll likely need to be in college for most of them.

QFT, usually you can get one after completing (at least) sophmore year of engineering related studies.

Yeah, good luck finding something.

 

[summit]

what you do is you go to a huge engineering company... ask/beg/pled for an internship... say you will do anything... after cleaning toilets/washing floors... you will be promoted, you will be a freshman w/ a real internship... you gotta pay your dues kid.

 

[jarfykk]

http://www.asee.org/seap/index.cfm

Several of these were at my lab last summer, and this year I presume as well. Deadline is passed (no exceptions) for summer 2008, but they do accept folks from every year in high school (including just-graduated seniors), so worth keeping in mind for next summer.

Otherwise I'd recommend you call up local technical shops, not necessarily big engineering firms. Check if they need a gopher-type folks who'll work unpaid/minimum wage this summer. Technical shops could be machine/die/tooling/architecture/you-name it, just something with enough gravitas to make it somewhat applicable to a college application for an engineering major.

As for unpaid/minimum-wage, I'd recommend you shoot for a low-wage/stipend position as firms that actually are putting money down typically try and make it worth their while to use you (in theory). All to often, free-labor turns into you sitting in the office doing nothing, but even if they're paying you $50/week, they will generally keep you busy enough. Hard lesson to learn for some of my classmates back in grad school, but that's what you get with internships (i.e. a mixed bag).

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Volunteer at some place and show up before your boss everyday, and leave after he does, while being productive during that time. It's pretty hard for any company to turn down someone like that, because if they're that motivated to learn and further themselves, they're the ideal employee for the business.

I'm not saying you can walk into the front office of Microsoft or Google and do this, but if you can find contact information for anyone in there, and meet them for coffee or lunch, then you're set if you're motivated to be a part of the organization.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

Get in to Kettering University and you'll have a job from the get-go. IF you can get in. Excellent school, only downside is it's in Flint, Mich.

 

[imported_Imp]

My university has a camp for aspiring engineers designed for highschool students. I think they do some hands-on stuff to let you "try" some stuff out. Check out your local colleges for something similar.

 

[Howard]

Even if you find one in high school, you're going to be doing grunt work. I would think carefully about it.

 

[bobsmith1492]

Where I work, we have 3 interns right now and several more coming in over the summer. One is 15, one is a junior in HS, and one is a freshman in electrical engineering. Of course, they're all kids of guys who work here. Finding someone you know (or a friend of a relative or something) who works for a smaller engineering firm would probably be your best chance. Also, just go to Radio Shack and pick up some basic electronics books and those 300-in-1 kits. You can learn a lot from those (that's where I got my start and it put me waaaay ahead of most of the engineering students with no practical background.) Plus you can build some fun stuff....

 

[bobsmith1492]

Originally posted by: Midnight Rambler
Get in to Kettering University and you'll have a job from the get-go. IF you can get in. Excellent school, only downside is it's in Flint, Mich.

Grand Valley State University also has an excellent co-op program (you end up doing 9 months of full-time work at an engineering firm) and it's in an excellent area - Grand Rapids.

 

[BHeemsoth]

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492

Originally posted by: Midnight Rambler
Get in to Kettering University and you'll have a job from the get-go. IF you can get in. Excellent school, only downside is it's in Flint, Mich.

Grand Valley State University also has an excellent co-op program (you end up doing 9 months of full-time work at an engineering firm) and it's in an excellent area - Grand Rapids.

Grand Valley State, huh? Are you a student there?

Those bums just grabbed the co #1 seed with Bentley College (we've been ranked #1 all year).

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Thanks for all the replies.

Hmm, I'm fine with doing grunt work, as long as it appears on my Resume.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

There's a really good article in the March 17 print issue of Design News magazine, I'd highly recommend anyone considering an education in Engineering to read it.

The title is "Crisis in Engineering Education" and especially take note of the sidebar story on small schools such as Harvey Mudd, Olin, etc. In the print version of the magazine, this is sub-titled "An Education Model That Works : Small is Beautiful and So Are the Teachers and Students." I couldn't agree more with this article.

The basic premise (which is quite true) is that the large universities have "abandoned" their undergraduate Eng. students and are too focused on their doctorate programs and big $-funded R&D.


Update : Found the story on-line

Main story

You'll have to click through for the sidebar article on small Eng. schools, but definitely do so, it's the best part IMHO.

 

[bobsmith1492]

Originally posted by: BHeemsoth

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492

Originally posted by: Midnight Rambler
Get in to Kettering University and you'll have a job from the get-go. IF you can get in. Excellent school, only downside is it's in Flint, Mich.

Grand Valley State University also has an excellent co-op program (you end up doing 9 months of full-time work at an engineering firm) and it's in an excellent area - Grand Rapids.

Grand Valley State, huh? Are you a student there?

Those bums just grabbed the co #1 seed with Bentley College (we've been ranked #1 all year).

Graduated last fall, never paid attention to sports but to know the football team destroyed everyone else the whole time I was there.

Midnight Rambler:

I've heard that before, hence part of the reason I went to GVSU. It has the benefits of a large school but the engineering school is small so the profs aren't all off researching. We work directly with all of the excellent profs on all kinds of projects at a more in-depth level than some Master's programs - very hands-on.