Physics Internships, which one is the right one

[Biscuit]

So I am a new student here at The Ohio State University. Every once in a while people come in at the beginning of lecture and pass around sign ups for internships. I haven't really been guided on the whole world of internships so I have a few questions I was hoping some of you could answer. I might be landing an internship for an entrepreneurship opportunity. As a physics major I understand that this isn't really relevant to my future line of work, but I am also aware that not all internships have to be. This internship seems really good for resumes and it makes a lot of money over the summer. I feel that I am presented with 3 options here: take the internship and if another better one comes along take that one, take the internship and don't apply for anymore, or ignore it and wait for a better one. Option one seems optimal but I don't know if that is something I could do. Any insight at all on my situation would be appreciated.

TLDR; should I take an internship that doesn't pertain to my major or future line of work

 

[Dr. Courtney]

A summer earning lots of cash is better than going deeper in debt to pay for your expenses next year. If the cash means debt reduction do it.

But there are some great labs in the dept at Ohio state. Get into research in one of those as soon as you can.

 

[Choppy]

Not everything you do as an undergrad needs to be related to what your future career might be.

It is important that you do *some* things that will help you out in terms of getting into graduate school if you're thinking that's a likely direction for you. You should, for example, try to get involved with at least one research project sometime between now and when you intent to apply for graduate school. But that doesn't have to be the only thing that you do.

This is a perfect time in your life to explore the opportunities that come your way. If this is an opportunity that will allow you to earn some money and go less into debt - that alone is a great thing. But you might discover another passion, or pick up some skills that will be useful later in life. Learning the details of running a business now may help you to launch something bigger later on, when you invent something in the lab as a part of your PhD research.

If it sounds interesting to you, then explore it further. September might be a little early to commit fully to something for the following summer. But in some cases you need the big lead time to really make the most of the opportunity ahead of you.

 

[ModusPwnd]

As a physics major I assume you want to go to grad school for a PhD and try to become a professional scientist. In that case I think its best to do undergrad research and try to get your name on a paper.

If you are thinking about something other than a PhD and research then I highly suggest an internship. I think an internship is far more useful for getting a job than undergrad research is.