Skip semester for intern/coop?

[Borkil]

I just had an interview with a company and it was for a intern position in the fall. I am a senior and I'm on track to graduate next spring. Right now I am in my second internship with another well known company this summer but it's not exactly in my major/field. The position in the Fall is with a big name company that's in my major.
So my question is would it be better to skip school this semester and do that internship or just finish up and look for a job?

 

[randomrogue]

In this job market? I'd take the internship.

 

[Blieb]

What is your major?

I don't align with the "in this economy" stuff.

We are having a hard time finding good talent. To that end, the more real world experience you can graduate with, the better.

 

[Borkil]

computer engineering

 

[Rumpltzer]

I wouldn't do that if I was in CompE. As already stated, engineering talent is getting scarce enough that finding bodies is getting tough. Sumnmer is fine; fall is a no if it delays your graduation.

-EE PhD; semicondutor device development

 

[rcpratt]

I'd finish and get a job.

 

[DrPizza]

It depends on the hiring rate at your university. Look at this year's graduates and see what percentage already have a job lined up. If it's 100%, then the internship may not be worth the bother. If you have friends who are graduating this year - [and if they're in you major at the same university and you're a sophomore and junior, then you SHOULD have made friends with a couple of the upper classmen in your major (that whole networking thing that often goes unexplained to people)] - then find out if those who did internships are getting better paying jobs than the others. If that's the case, it becomes a math problem. I know that in my son's major, 100% of this year's graduates in his major had job offers prior to graduation. He got a much sweeter deal than many of the other students, probably because of his internship experience. In his case, it didn't set him back a semester. However, in my opinion, even if it would have, it was worth the difference in job satisfaction that working at a better company (plus a little bit more pay) gained him.

Think of it this way:
semester semester semester semester semester work semester semester work
or
semester semester semester semester semester semester semester work work

Notice that those lines are the same length, and contain roughly the same amount of time being paid to work. The internship will likely pay less, but could make up for it by getting a better job paying more - after half a year of work, you might break even on the pay, then be ahead after that. The second line is based on the assumption that you have a job lined up before you graduate - you might not find a job as quickly if they all say "experience desired."

However, if 70% of the graduating students have jobs lined up, again, take a look at the qualifications of those who were hired vs. those who weren't hired. If it seems that those who had done internships were first to get hired, then the decision is a no-brainer. Take a semester off and get paid for working, and get job experience? Or spend an equivalent amount of time after graduation looking for a job and NOT getting paid while you do it.

 

[Texashiker]

So my question is would it be better to skip school this semester and do that internship or just finish up and look for a job?

Some colleges, if you skip a semester, you have to sign back up under the new schedule, which means you could lose several hours of credits.

That is why colleges change the courses every year. So if you drop out for a semester, they can screw you over for more money.

I missed a semester while I went through a terrible divorce, went back, was told I lost 30 - 32 hours because the course requirements had changed. I had already spent 4 1/2 years working on a 2 year degree (going nights, working full time job during the day). Losing so many hours meant I would have to go to college 6 years for a 2 year degree.

 

[mOeeOm]

I'd finish and get a job.

Or not get a job due to lack of experience, take the internship (I wish I did)

I got stuck in limbo for like 6 months post grad before I found a job, and the job is pretty terrible still. Oh wells glad to have the experience on my resume finally. fwiw chemical engineering

 

[Saint Nick]

IMO, take the internship. I had three total internships while in school.

 

[DaWhim]

take the internship/coop for sure. it is a fast track to get a full time offer.

I can tell you looking for a job with no experiences sucks. it is a catch-22, employers want people with experiences, fresh grads have no experiences, do you want to be the fresh grads with no experiences? unless you personally the powerful people in your industry who can get u a job with a phone call, you don't.

if you happen to get a full time offer, your last semester will be a bliss in school.

 

[highland145]

What about 4 classes this summer and then the internship in the fall?

 

[edro]

Internship
What's a few months of delaying your entry into the workplace?

 

[Borkil]

What about 4 classes this summer and then the internship in the fall?

can't already have an internship this summer and they don't offer the 400 lvl courses in the summer

 

[highland145]

can't already have an internship this summer and they don't offer the 400 lvl courses in the summer

Are the same classes offered in the spring or do you have to wait til next fall to pick them up? Might be the deal breaker right there.

 

[unokitty]

It going to depend on your specific situation.

For me, I would consider it but only if I wanted to work for that company after graduation and they had a history of offering full time work to their interns.

Best of luck,
Uno

 

[Borkil]

Are the same classes offered in the spring or do you have to wait til next fall to pick them up? Might be the deal breaker right there.

yes and no, there are a few classes that i need to take that are only offered in fall or spring, however there are alternatives i can take that would still allow me to graduate on time. however i would like to take those classes.

for example i want to take an operating systems class to fill a req, but it is only offered in the spring and has a prereq that i will take this fall. However i can take a compilers class that will satisfy the req instead.

 

[KillerCharlie]

In this job market? I'd take the internship.

Take the internship in ANY job market. Engineering internships usually pay well. Where I work (engineering), you're basically guaranteed a fulltime job after an internship, regardless if the company is hiring or not.

Internships are the best opportunities out there - the best way to get your foot in the door between education and full-time employment.

 

[PricklyPete]

I did it (co-op position) for 3 semesters and it was one of the best decisions I made in college.

 

[Borkil]

Thanks for the info guys! I've decided to accept the position. I figured it would hopefully lead to a full time job and more opportunities

 

[randomrogue]

Thanks for the info guys! I've decided to accept the position. I figured it would hopefully lead to a full time job and more opportunities

Smart man!

 

[brianmanahan]

good idea

 

[Gibson486]

My school is a 5 year college because of the coop program...

there are pros and cons.

Anyone who says that they cannot find people to hire in CE or EE is kidding themselves. They are just being picky. I know lots of EEs and CEs who do not have jobs. yeah, the market for experienced engineers is scarce, but no one really wants a new grad....I say take the internship. If you do not land a full time gig after it, at least you will be better off than the other grads who have nothing to put on their resume.

 

[Matthiasa]

Yeah I got rejected by about 21312312 engineering places before deciding to try something different. There are plenty able, or that could be trained, but they are as mentioned being very picky.