Is an internship necessary for a Mechanical Engineering degree?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the necessity of internships for Mechanical Engineering students, particularly focusing on their impact on employability and the value of alternative experiences such as research. Participants share personal experiences and opinions regarding internships, job prospects, and the relevance of different types of experience.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about not having internship experience and its potential impact on job prospects after graduation.
  • Another participant suggests that internships generally enhance resumes and improve chances in job interviews, although they acknowledge that some employers may hire graduates without internship experience.
  • A participant shares their positive experience of securing a job despite a lower GPA, attributing it to their internship experience.
  • Several participants discuss the varying pay rates for internships, with one noting that experience is more valuable than salary.
  • Questions are raised about whether research experience is viewed as equivalent to internship experience by employers, with one participant contemplating the factors that would influence this perception.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the necessity of internships, with some advocating for their importance while others suggest that alternative experiences may also be valuable. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the equivalency of research experience to internships.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying opinions on the importance of internships, the relevance of research experience, and the impact of GPA on employability, indicating a lack of definitive answers and highlighting the subjective nature of hiring practices in engineering.

Who May Find This Useful

Mechanical Engineering students, career advisors, and employers interested in understanding the role of internships and alternative experiences in hiring decisions.

AnthroMecha
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I'm currently an ME student about half way through my Bachelor's degree and plan to graduate in 2 years. I'm older (37) and because of that I planned to get through my degree without doing an internship so I can get back to work asap. I don't mind taking a low paying job after I graduate for a while to gain experience, hopefully not too low though. My fear is that I won't be able to get a job at all after graduating without having any internship experience.

Any insight is appreciated.
 
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Internships almost always look good on a resume. Since you need to interview for the position in competition with other students, and you gain some relevant work experience, this is a good indication that you will do well in subsequent interviews and subsequent work. Think of it as a screening experiment for employment.

This is a "tends to", and "for the most part", kind of judgment. I would definitely consider hiring a new grad engineer without internship experience, but I find that most of the students I hire have internship experience.
 
Thanks for the response. I went ahead and applied for a summer 2013 internship.
 
I would definitely try to get an internship. My GPA was relatively low compared to lots of people, but because I had a 7month internship I feel like I'm getting a little more exposure than some. If you land an internship at one of the oil companies (Shell, Halliburton, Schlumberger, ect) you can expect to make ~$30 an hour which is ridiculous for an internship haha. Good luck!
 
I applied for one at Bell Hellicopter, it probably pays about half of what you're getting, LOL. I don't really care about that though, I just want a foot in the door.
 
Definitely! I never had an internship that paid that well, just some friends who did. My internship paid like 1/3 of that haha. But all that matters is the experience. The experience from any engineering job far outweighs how much you make.
 
Is research experience just as good as an internship to employers?
 
vincent_vega said:
Is research experience just as good as an internship to employers?

I'm not sure I know how to answer that question. What I'll do instead is tell you what would go on in my head if I saw research experience on a resume.

  • What kind of research is this? Lab work? Prototyping? Data collection? Just what did this person do?
  • Is the field of research relevant to this position?
  • What does this project tell me about the interests of this applicant?
 

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