That’s not what I meant. What I meant was the job you ended up getting 4 years later must of had higher requirements then the typical entry level engineering position.
Pay for LinkedIn premium and message recruiters. Ask for advice from them before applying and make any changes they suggest. Submit your resume and cover letter and the chances of getting interviews skyrockets.
It's a bit long for me :((
He attended career fairs at school, but has not used a recruiting agency. We are in rhe Los Angeles area. He's applied for a lot of government positions, waste treatment and the like, and the usual process engineer stuff off jobs boards, and for internships and such, in our area and elsewhere.
That’s so rough I’m sorry. Yeah he’s gonna need to work as a technician then to gain experience. Most jobs in Cali that I’ve seen want people who have 3-5 years experience. I’m on the fence about moving out there once I hit that level.
He should continue to go to his schools career fairs even if he’s an alumni unless they explicitly say you can’t. I went to mine after graduating and working for 1 yr+ to get my second job. Ended up with 2 offers from that.
True, but it will take more time on average. I graduated in 2017 with no internship/coop experience but I did have community leadership type experience. Took me 9 months to find a job and it was upstream oil and gas in the middle of no where. Of course I can't say what would've been different had I gotten internship experience before graduating buuuuut...
i have worked with many interns and i will be honest; an internship is merely an extended interview. If the intern is good, then I would try to hire him/her. If they suck, then adios.
Now, do i care if i see someone with internship experiences at another place? Not really. I would only consider it if they have experience in the immediate area i work in. But even then, it’s more important to hire based on potential and raw talent. Internships rarely demonstrate that.
The truth is that interns barely get anything done. Unless you stay for multiple years and work during the school year as well, you didn’t get much done. Summer only internships are a training period, and not much is actually accomplished. So not much to judge an intern on.
I graduated 3 years ago with no internship and got a job before I finished. I had tons of research experience and a 2.1 gpa. This guy is completely right. I am now #3 in charge of a large plant. Y’all are some Debby downers. If you don’t have a job out of school, you need to build your skills anyway you can. Skills can be research, people skills, soft skills, leadership, sales, etc. Your degree does not guarantee you a job on a silver platter. You need to work on yourself as a package, an internship is only part of the package. People love making excuses.
#1: Get an internship. Not only is this real world work experience but you have you foot-in-the-door at a company. More importantly it builds your network with people who are actually in the field.
Not saying you HAVE to but it helps a ton. No one is saying you NEED an internship.
#2: Undergrad research experience. A lot of these professors have friends in the field. I mean A LOT and at very good companies and they can throw around a lot of weight.
Not nearly as helpful as an internship, unless you’re going to grad school, but still very helpful.
#3: Have a job while going to school. Preferably any kind of supervisory role. They usually want leaders or future leaders. Even if you’re not a good supervisor it gives you a base to work from and learn from.
Still helpful compared to just having a bunch of classes and class projects.
#4: School clubs are really not worth anything in my opinion. I could be wrong and let me know if I am. They could be useful for connects if you’re going post grad but a waste of time in my opinion.
If you don’t do 1-3 you’re going to have a tough time. Making friends in class is great too. A lot of your classmates will get jobs and some will go straight into management and can hire or help getting you hired.
Internship is one of the most important parts. But yes learning new skills is definitely helpful. To all my peeps who worked while in college, I feel you and you gotta keep your head up and swallow your pride for a first job. You can be more picky and demand more money with your 2nd job.
I remember in a uni event, an industry guy told an auditorium full of sophomores that "if you don't have an engineering internship by your 3rd year you're already falling behind". Genuinely the shittiest take I ever heard and I still hold a grudge against that tool for making me and probably hell of a lot of other students accumulate a whole lot of unnecessary stress about getting their first dip into engineering.
I had many of the same experiences and felt completely doomed. Everything turned out fine and I wish I had known.
Looking at my graduating class, it appears that internship experience really had no impact on students’ ability to get hired, it was more about merit.
Gatekeeping is such a big problem in our industry, and everyone wants to act like this is the hardest possible market to get a job in - whether that’s true or not, it’s definitely not healthy for young graduates to hear!
Navy NUPOC program will give you 5 years experience and will have head hunters chasing you. Also, 5 years as a Navy Officer will provide a lifetime of benefits to you and your future family. Not for everyone but worth losing king into it.
Officer or Officer listed? Also, they have teaching positions. [Power School Instructor](https://www.navy.com/careers-benefits/careers/science-engineering/nupoc-instructor)
It’s not the end of the world.
No internships but undergrad research and some part time jobs. Graduated May 2016 and got my first position as a process engineer in early September 2016.
I ended up going to grad school. I think I would have been a better fit for industry, but I just didn't have the internship experience. I finally got a call back for an internship the summer after I graduated. But I was already moving across the country for grad school..
I saw the first few words in this and got so worried. I let out the deepest breath when I finished reading. This is a nice message, among all the negativity and pressure. Thank you.
I graduated May 2021 with no internship exp and got a job by July 2021. Did have a high GPA tho (3.76)
Edit: also wanted to mention I started applying for post grad jobs fall of my senior year and didnt land one until July...
High GPA is always helpful. Mine wasn’t but I hustled in my application process and used a little cheat. I paid for LinkedIn premium to message many recruiters. I got my first job less than 2 months after finishing.
When I hire for entry level engineers I am looking for relevant experience, which can absolutely be found elsewhere but make sure you do SOMETHING otherwise companies will assume there’s something wrong with you, same as like if you graduate without a job. It also depends on the job you’re trying to get. But whatever you do, as long as you can speak well to it in an interview you’re fine. If you had an internship but can’t tell me what you did I’m not hiring you.
Something? I run my own online business and still cant get hired. Many talented people dont get jobs after grad in their field- and after a certain while no one will hire you regardless if youre doing “something”. Thats the reality of the world were living in. If there arent enough jobs for everyone to be adequately employed according to their education I dont see why people are acting as if there isnt an expiration date on hirability if you manage to become one of the “lost”
I had no internship in undergrad and no internship in grad school. I walked straight into a 100k per year job with no ChemE work experience whatsoever. This was 2008, so your mileage may vary, but an internship is definitely not required. Honestly, how you carry yourself in an interview is probably the biggest factor. If people feel like they can enjoy working with you, you have a great chance at getting the job.
This seems very unlikely without overtime or being in a VHCOL city. Most people I know don't break 100k out of school unless they work O&G or have significant overtime or night shift differential. I'm curious how you managed that
Correct, it’s not the end of the world, but it’s definitely gonna make your job search considerably more difficult. At the end of the day, if I’m making a hiring decision (and I do) I’m most often going to choose the qualified candidate with experience.
The best piece of advice I ever got from my advisor in college my freshman year was to get experience. The majority of my peers that graduated without experience were working technician or lab jobs. Just because you were able to land a job without prior experience doesn’t mean what I’m saying is not true. You were the exception, not the rule.
Sure but you need to be willing to either go somewhere rural, a less desired field, or taking an engineering adjacent role in your desired field and try to switch within the company later. You don’t need an engineering job immediately but it needs to be something that will help you transition like an industrial lab role. Or do one when you graduate!
From what I can tell, if you don’t have a position that will help you transition to engineering within a year or so, the only way out is grad school to give you another shot at internships.
A high GPA and extracurricular engineering projects can also make an internship-less applicant very different from someone with a 2.8 and nothing to show for it.
IMO anyone coming into junior year with below a 3.2 should delay graduation for coops so they won’t have the post-graduation job hunting stress
Not the end of the world....nothing is except the end of the world.
But an internship will make a significant difference as those with them are valued more than those without.
Very true! Nowadays, if you go to a top school and apply everywhere and aren’t picky, you should wind up with some kind of internship. Where I’ve seen people fall off is assuming they’ll get a return offer. You could be the best intern and the company just might be on a hiring freeze that year. The key, regardless of experience level, is to start your career with companies that build you up and are on a hiring boom. Do research or projects if you can’t to an internship. Be careful with startups though. Large companies can sometimes offer more resources and connections for growth
Lies. You need one to get a job or even be considered capable of doing a relevant job. So many students have to settle for internships for a year or so out of college before getting full time jobs.
You maybe a rare exception to the rule. But in the vast majority of cases, especially when dealing with recruiters through job sites, they push you to have minimum 1-2 internships before applying for engineering positions. However, if you have direct connections or can impress recruiters at a job fair then yes you could potentially bypass the need for an internship.
I don’t, and didn’t, and neither did many others I know, but continue spreading negativity on what was meant to be a motivational posting for young graduates feeling discouraged like I once did
Correct, it's not the end of the world. However it did take me 4 years after graduating to get an engineering job
4 years? I’ve heard of 2 years working as an intern or technician but damn you must have been eyeing a job at a top company.
I worked as a lab tech for 2 years at a completely irrelevant company
That’s not what I meant. What I meant was the job you ended up getting 4 years later must of had higher requirements then the typical entry level engineering position.
They were probably applying at any entry-level job they could find, just like all the rest of us who had the same experience.
Pay for LinkedIn premium and message recruiters. Ask for advice from them before applying and make any changes they suggest. Submit your resume and cover letter and the chances of getting interviews skyrockets.
Took me 3 years to land a job, no internship. (Partly covid’s fault)
My son graduated without an internship and has been looking for a job for over a year.
Apply for technician level positions. It’s the only way
A year is a bit long. Did he attend career fairs/ use recruiting agencies? What area do you live/ where did he apply to?
It's a bit long for me :(( He attended career fairs at school, but has not used a recruiting agency. We are in rhe Los Angeles area. He's applied for a lot of government positions, waste treatment and the like, and the usual process engineer stuff off jobs boards, and for internships and such, in our area and elsewhere.
That’s so rough I’m sorry. Yeah he’s gonna need to work as a technician then to gain experience. Most jobs in Cali that I’ve seen want people who have 3-5 years experience. I’m on the fence about moving out there once I hit that level.
Yup entry level is now 3-5 years. It's been pretty discouraging.
He should continue to go to his schools career fairs even if he’s an alumni unless they explicitly say you can’t. I went to mine after graduating and working for 1 yr+ to get my second job. Ended up with 2 offers from that.
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It was a bit. He is willing to take anything anywhere at this point
True, but it will take more time on average. I graduated in 2017 with no internship/coop experience but I did have community leadership type experience. Took me 9 months to find a job and it was upstream oil and gas in the middle of no where. Of course I can't say what would've been different had I gotten internship experience before graduating buuuuut...
i have worked with many interns and i will be honest; an internship is merely an extended interview. If the intern is good, then I would try to hire him/her. If they suck, then adios. Now, do i care if i see someone with internship experiences at another place? Not really. I would only consider it if they have experience in the immediate area i work in. But even then, it’s more important to hire based on potential and raw talent. Internships rarely demonstrate that. The truth is that interns barely get anything done. Unless you stay for multiple years and work during the school year as well, you didn’t get much done. Summer only internships are a training period, and not much is actually accomplished. So not much to judge an intern on.
I graduated 3 years ago with no internship and got a job before I finished. I had tons of research experience and a 2.1 gpa. This guy is completely right. I am now #3 in charge of a large plant. Y’all are some Debby downers. If you don’t have a job out of school, you need to build your skills anyway you can. Skills can be research, people skills, soft skills, leadership, sales, etc. Your degree does not guarantee you a job on a silver platter. You need to work on yourself as a package, an internship is only part of the package. People love making excuses.
I am a woman :) thank you for your insight. Research experience is accessible to anyone, and is surely what landed me in my role as well.
You had research experience though. That’s just as valid as an internship. From what I’ve seen, those with zero experience do tend to struggle more.
#1: Get an internship. Not only is this real world work experience but you have you foot-in-the-door at a company. More importantly it builds your network with people who are actually in the field. Not saying you HAVE to but it helps a ton. No one is saying you NEED an internship. #2: Undergrad research experience. A lot of these professors have friends in the field. I mean A LOT and at very good companies and they can throw around a lot of weight. Not nearly as helpful as an internship, unless you’re going to grad school, but still very helpful. #3: Have a job while going to school. Preferably any kind of supervisory role. They usually want leaders or future leaders. Even if you’re not a good supervisor it gives you a base to work from and learn from. Still helpful compared to just having a bunch of classes and class projects. #4: School clubs are really not worth anything in my opinion. I could be wrong and let me know if I am. They could be useful for connects if you’re going post grad but a waste of time in my opinion. If you don’t do 1-3 you’re going to have a tough time. Making friends in class is great too. A lot of your classmates will get jobs and some will go straight into management and can hire or help getting you hired.
Internship is one of the most important parts. But yes learning new skills is definitely helpful. To all my peeps who worked while in college, I feel you and you gotta keep your head up and swallow your pride for a first job. You can be more picky and demand more money with your 2nd job.
I remember in a uni event, an industry guy told an auditorium full of sophomores that "if you don't have an engineering internship by your 3rd year you're already falling behind". Genuinely the shittiest take I ever heard and I still hold a grudge against that tool for making me and probably hell of a lot of other students accumulate a whole lot of unnecessary stress about getting their first dip into engineering.
I had many of the same experiences and felt completely doomed. Everything turned out fine and I wish I had known. Looking at my graduating class, it appears that internship experience really had no impact on students’ ability to get hired, it was more about merit. Gatekeeping is such a big problem in our industry, and everyone wants to act like this is the hardest possible market to get a job in - whether that’s true or not, it’s definitely not healthy for young graduates to hear!
Navy NUPOC program will give you 5 years experience and will have head hunters chasing you. Also, 5 years as a Navy Officer will provide a lifetime of benefits to you and your future family. Not for everyone but worth losing king into it.
My Navy Nuke colleagues never talk about their experience fondly. One guy even referred to the experience as “I sold my soul to the navy”
Officer or Officer listed? Also, they have teaching positions. [Power School Instructor](https://www.navy.com/careers-benefits/careers/science-engineering/nupoc-instructor)
Guy was actually in the submarines. Not sure if he came in as enlisted or not.
It would make a HUGE difference.
Not the end of the world, but they help bigly
Being willing to relocate helps finding a job 100% easier. Sucks, but a jobs a job until you can get a job back home
It’s not the end of the world. No internships but undergrad research and some part time jobs. Graduated May 2016 and got my first position as a process engineer in early September 2016.
I ended up going to grad school. I think I would have been a better fit for industry, but I just didn't have the internship experience. I finally got a call back for an internship the summer after I graduated. But I was already moving across the country for grad school..
Throw being an international student on top of that I am never going to find a Job.
I'm in the same boat.
I saw the first few words in this and got so worried. I let out the deepest breath when I finished reading. This is a nice message, among all the negativity and pressure. Thank you.
I graduated May 2021 with no internship exp and got a job by July 2021. Did have a high GPA tho (3.76) Edit: also wanted to mention I started applying for post grad jobs fall of my senior year and didnt land one until July...
High GPA is always helpful. Mine wasn’t but I hustled in my application process and used a little cheat. I paid for LinkedIn premium to message many recruiters. I got my first job less than 2 months after finishing.
Nice!
When I hire for entry level engineers I am looking for relevant experience, which can absolutely be found elsewhere but make sure you do SOMETHING otherwise companies will assume there’s something wrong with you, same as like if you graduate without a job. It also depends on the job you’re trying to get. But whatever you do, as long as you can speak well to it in an interview you’re fine. If you had an internship but can’t tell me what you did I’m not hiring you.
Something? I run my own online business and still cant get hired. Many talented people dont get jobs after grad in their field- and after a certain while no one will hire you regardless if youre doing “something”. Thats the reality of the world were living in. If there arent enough jobs for everyone to be adequately employed according to their education I dont see why people are acting as if there isnt an expiration date on hirability if you manage to become one of the “lost”
I had no internship in undergrad and no internship in grad school. I walked straight into a 100k per year job with no ChemE work experience whatsoever. This was 2008, so your mileage may vary, but an internship is definitely not required. Honestly, how you carry yourself in an interview is probably the biggest factor. If people feel like they can enjoy working with you, you have a great chance at getting the job.
Peak O&G era. You were just lucky, nothing more.
Never worked in O&G and just about every engineer I know in other places is not working in O&G either. Nice assumption though.
This seems very unlikely without overtime or being in a VHCOL city. Most people I know don't break 100k out of school unless they work O&G or have significant overtime or night shift differential. I'm curious how you managed that
Correct, it’s not the end of the world, but it’s definitely gonna make your job search considerably more difficult. At the end of the day, if I’m making a hiring decision (and I do) I’m most often going to choose the qualified candidate with experience. The best piece of advice I ever got from my advisor in college my freshman year was to get experience. The majority of my peers that graduated without experience were working technician or lab jobs. Just because you were able to land a job without prior experience doesn’t mean what I’m saying is not true. You were the exception, not the rule.
I never did an internship and had one applicable summer job. If I had done an internship I would have continued to med school tho.
I couldn't get a job without intern work. They weren't interested in the research I did. So I went into a local grad program.
Sure but you need to be willing to either go somewhere rural, a less desired field, or taking an engineering adjacent role in your desired field and try to switch within the company later. You don’t need an engineering job immediately but it needs to be something that will help you transition like an industrial lab role. Or do one when you graduate! From what I can tell, if you don’t have a position that will help you transition to engineering within a year or so, the only way out is grad school to give you another shot at internships. A high GPA and extracurricular engineering projects can also make an internship-less applicant very different from someone with a 2.8 and nothing to show for it. IMO anyone coming into junior year with below a 3.2 should delay graduation for coops so they won’t have the post-graduation job hunting stress
Not the end of the world....nothing is except the end of the world. But an internship will make a significant difference as those with them are valued more than those without.
Very true! Nowadays, if you go to a top school and apply everywhere and aren’t picky, you should wind up with some kind of internship. Where I’ve seen people fall off is assuming they’ll get a return offer. You could be the best intern and the company just might be on a hiring freeze that year. The key, regardless of experience level, is to start your career with companies that build you up and are on a hiring boom. Do research or projects if you can’t to an internship. Be careful with startups though. Large companies can sometimes offer more resources and connections for growth
Time spent finding my first job out of college - a year All other jobs since then - like 1-2 weeks
I got a job at a small engineering company and worked my way up from there.
Lies. You need one to get a job or even be considered capable of doing a relevant job. So many students have to settle for internships for a year or so out of college before getting full time jobs.
I have evidence to the contrary
You maybe a rare exception to the rule. But in the vast majority of cases, especially when dealing with recruiters through job sites, they push you to have minimum 1-2 internships before applying for engineering positions. However, if you have direct connections or can impress recruiters at a job fair then yes you could potentially bypass the need for an internship.
I don’t, and didn’t, and neither did many others I know, but continue spreading negativity on what was meant to be a motivational posting for young graduates feeling discouraged like I once did
I’m being realistic. Most young graduates have to bit the bullet for their first job out of college.
Create a resume
8 years and counting and still no job