Job situation: how do I approach this?

[erub]

I'm graduating in Dec with my MSEE at Georgia Tech (yipee!). Today I received my first two job offers, one of which is really good but has given me only one week to decide. This semester I have been interning at a company, for the past month (minus the time that I've been travelling for interviews, heh). They knew about my travelling as I told my boss before I accepted it (in the three weeks it took them to run my background check, I filled up a whole month of interviews, each week), so by the time they were ready for me to start they basically got me 2 days per week instead of 3 as originally agreed.

The internship as current scheduled runs until Dec 31. However, since I have this FT job offer (which I have a choice of Feb/July start dates-->probably I will choose July, as my goal is to travel/relax for ~3 months), but I want to know if the current company is interested in keeping me on FT, and if so, what $ amount they are thinking. I realize that because of my travelling that they haven't had a full chance to evaluate me, but hey, nobody else got a trial period other than an hour/days worth of interviews..

Also, I've considered telling them I'd stay on until March 31 if they were interested as an intern, where I'd be working 40 hours (instead of ~20 while in school)..but then come March if they decided to give me a FT offer, well I'd already have accepted my current offer..

 

[KingGheedora]

If you would take the good offer, you have nothing to lose by asking current company, since it would be stupid to pass up the good offer on the chance that the company you intern for would make a better offer. So ask if they have any full time positions that you might be a good fit for. Of course they have no basis to make a special case for you unless you've wowed them with amazing work in the two days a week you've been there, so the best you can hope for from them is that they are looking to fill full time positions and you have done good work in the little time you've been there that would give you a slightly better chance than someone off the street with otherwise the same resume as you.

You didn't give any details about the 2nd job offer. If you are willing to pass up the good offer and take the 2nd one, then wait till you have had a chance to show what you can do at the current intern place, and then talk to them about it.

I think it's a great idea to wait till July to start working. I interned at a place in college and accepted an offer and started working full time as soon as I graduated. It drains you. It sucked not to have a break, but I didn't have a choice, I had no money. I worked for 2.5 years before I ever took a vacation longer than a week (took 2 weeks off to travel this summer).

 

[erub]

Yeah that's what I'm worried about, while I've been doing everything my boss has been asking of me, I don't know if I've done great work per se..it seems like too much of the time has been spent setting up this account, talking with this person to get this system up and running for me, etc..basically "wasted" but not on my own accord.

I'm also debating if I should approach my boss (Ram), or my boss's-boss (whom I relate better to, and is actually my hiring boss on official record, Paul). I don't want Ram to feel like I went over his head, but since he is fairly new in the position, he ends up asking Paul for help on many things anyway. I also think that Paul will be the one making the decision to keep me..

 

[darthsidious]

Congratulations on your job offers.

As it seems that your company is already aware of your interviewing, you should be fine with telling them - "I'm interested in working for you, but I also have a job offer from other places. Are you interested in interviewing/hiring me?" I think most companies get a decent idea of whether to hire you from your intern performance there.