So I found a couple of threads on internships, none were that helpful. All the threads were just really specific. I thought it might be helpful to start a thread that can cover generic and specific questions. So, if you've had an internship (summer or otherwise) what did you do, how did you get it (internet search, connection, other resources, etc), was it paid/unpaid, if unpaid did you find any grants to help you out, did the internship help you in the long run, did you do it as an undergrad/grad/both, major, etc etc. Maybe internship opportunities can be posted in here as well, since there seem to be a lot of threads with those, might help to have them all in one place.

Also, for my specific question... I could have sworn that I read an active thread recently about sas internships; the sas internship thread I found was really old and I couldn't find the other thread I'm thinking of. So, for those of you that have had summer internships with sas and applied through the sas.com/jobs site, how long of a turn around did you see before you were contacted for interviews? I've just recently submitted a few different applications--I'm guessing since the jobs were just posted, they'll remain open for awhile. I was just curious about the application process---I've never really applied for a job or internship completely online before.

3/4/2008 6:50:40 PM

i would recommend going to the career center and picking up their handbook. it covers all the basics and you can meet with the counselors.

not to say that people shouldn't share any of their own thoughts, but you could save a lot of time by doing that.

but, to answer one of your questions, yes, internships help in the long run. they are essential if you want to find a decent-good job after school.

3/4/2008 8:43:57 PM

When I applied for one at SAS, it only took a day or two after I submitted my resume to be contacted to schedule an interview. Then it took FOREVER after that to hear anything, and I had already accepted a position elsewhere, and I'm really glad I did because I work there full-time now and I love it.

I did two unpaid internships before the paid one, and it seemed like the bosses for those were more demanding than the one that was paid. Maybe it was just the nature of the individuals, but they alway said things like, "You should look into ____, but make sure you do it off internship time." I think when they pay you they think of you as more of an employee rather than just a work monkey. But I'm sure other people have had much better experiences with unpaid internships.

3/4/2008 9:17:01 PM

^^ i had 2 internships in undergrad, and i found those through networking. i guess now i'm trying to find a "big girl" internship. i paid my alumni dues so i can still use the career center at ncsu, so i might talk to them (because the one at my grad school sucks a lot). i was just wondering if anyone else had done anything cool or had any tips beyond career centers.

i have a good resume (i think) and a strong transcript from both undergrad and my first semester in grad school, but i've applied to a few things over the past few weeks and haven't gotten anything. and some of the people i know who are way below me in our class have gotten jobs. so i'm thinking its mostly connection oriented, but i can't help it if i don't know any super amazing people that will just hand me a job that isn't based on merit/previous experience. all i have is my previous experience and my grades...i guess i'm just discouraged bc those don't seem good enough.

3/4/2008 10:13:20 PM

I've had two internships. One my first time in college via connections, unpaid and in DC. My current one (paid, for a state agency) I got at the CoM career fair, though I am positive I got it because I'm way overqualified for an intern position. Hoping it turns into a permanent job in the summer.

BTW, I think the SAS thread was in Study Hall.

3/4/2008 10:48:27 PM

So, if you've had an internship (summer or otherwise) what did you do

-I did a summer/fall coop with IBM as a software engineer working on a specific portlet.
-I did a summer internship as an application developer for MCI. I wrote EJBs to allow other groups to access our webservices. I also created an installation guide for our new SUN machines.

how did you get it (internet search, connection, other resources, etc)

-I played poker with an IBMer
-I had a group project for my e-commerce class with an MCI full timer who pretty much got me the job. 6 out of the 7 of us had internal recommendations. The 7th person was doing a double masters in CSC and CPE at some fancy school out west.

was it paid/unpaid, if unpaid did you find any grants to help you out

-I still can't imagine working for no money. It paid very well.
-I still can't imagine working for no money. It paid well.

did the internship help you in the long run, did you do it as an undergrad/grad/both, major, etc etc.

-It helped me in the log run I currently have a full time position with IBM. Coincidentally my team lead for my coop sat right across the guy that hired me for my current position. I did the coop an an undergrad.
-My first full time position was with MCI. I did the summer internship right after I graduated college and it lead to a full time position at the end of the summer.

[Edited on March 4, 2008 at 11:49 PM. Reason : sp]

3/4/2008 11:48:40 PM

Did three internships.

1) Part time sales representative for Hewlett Packard via MarketSource in retail. Not a internship per say but represented HP and got paid $15/hr. Got the heads up about this through a roomate as these positions were rarely ever posted externally.
2) Field Rep for CII Laboratories. Basically one summer I covered 11 states meeting with Agriculture folks collecting wheat samples and sending them back to our lab for testing. We would then publish these results and show a gradient of the quality of wheat across the bread belt to bakers, etc. Got paid $375/week but had $30/day in food expenses, drove the brand spankin new Nissan Murano rental around, and $75/night in a hotel (I was on the road 7 days a week for 2 months over the summer). This job came through my advisor.
3) Supply-Chain Intern with Hewlett Packard in Ft Collins Co. Cool internship program but the work I did was def intern work but got paid $17/hr. The department I worked for was being downsized so everyone in the department was always on edge, two women had mental breakdowns and quit, and I was an intern in the mix. Made a lot of great friends since there were 100+ interns in the program and was nice to live in a different part of the country for a while. This internship came by applying externally and having my connections from internship #1 call the hiring manager and recommend me.


DIrectly after graduation I was hired as a District Team Manager for MarketSource representing Hewlett Packard. I have 35 direct part-time reports , cover most of the Carolinas, and love being a manager directly out of college. There is no way I would have got this position had it not been for multiple internships, and having my foot already in the door.

I would suggest applying to many positions within the company, even if the internship is not right up your alley or concentration. Even with my foot in the door with HP I applied to 15+ internships and got 2 offers. It was definitly helpful when interviewing for a sales management job that I had worked for the company in another department and could talk about a part of the company in detail that the hiring managers knew very little about.

[Edited on March 5, 2008 at 9:55 AM. Reason : .]

3/5/2008 9:53:18 AM

im working with the people in the career center now trying to find internships, part-time work (in my feild), or doing research because im scared to death im going to graduate and have a miserable job and not make any money

out of the three which would yall say was more helpful to obtaining decent jobs after graduation?

3/5/2008 10:12:32 AM

internships/coops

3/5/2008 10:20:37 AM

Quote :

"out of the three which would yall say was more helpful to obtaining decent jobs after graduation?"

hate to say, but it depends. A mix of an internship and working PT in your field might help. I would suggest both internship and part time work. As an intern you are given somewhat meaningful tasks but you are there to learn and hopefully your mentor or manager provides that opportunity. When you work part time somewhere you are really in the trenches and can get an idea of how well you would like to work there or in that field if you were to increase your hours to full time.

The career center is great but still go out of their box and try to find your own gigs. They are helping thousands of students per year and therefore sharing the same network and contacts.

3/5/2008 10:37:07 AM

Quote :

"When you work part time somewhere you are really in the trenches and can get an idea of how well you would like to work there or in that field if you were to increase your hours to full time."

I'd say just the opposite. I think working a full time internship/coop would increase your chances of actually doing meaningful projects.

3/5/2008 10:49:41 AM

Because it's full time rather than part time? Or do you think interns are more likely to get valuable work than employees?

3/5/2008 10:51:37 AM

Because it's full time rather than part time?
Yes

Or do you think interns are more likely to get valuable work than employees?
Are interns not employees?

3/5/2008 11:05:21 AM

You know what I mean. Non-intern employees. It sounded like you were suggesting that interns (or co-op workers) would be more likely to get good projects than people who were hired as part-time employees instead.

[Edited on March 5, 2008 at 11:11 AM. Reason : which I don't think is true, but the argument for it being full-time is understandable]

3/5/2008 11:08:29 AM

Any guy on the street could be hired as a part time employee. Interns and coops will eventually graduate and could then become full time employees. The employer will have a vested interest in these people.

[Edited on March 5, 2008 at 11:13 AM. Reason : ]

3/5/2008 11:13:23 AM

co-op ftw

3/5/2008 11:16:17 AM

What? I doubt IBM would just hire some bum off the street as a part-time software engineer. As long as you're working for a reputable company, part-time work is still valuable.

3/5/2008 11:17:11 AM

Quote :

"I doubt IBM would just hire some bum off the street as a part-time software engineer."

Exactly. Why would you hire some random guy off the street for an important project when you could get a ton of Juniors/Seniors from NCSU to coop/intern?

3/5/2008 11:21:46 AM

My point is they wouldn't. They'd pick the same guy who is nicely qualified, but saying that the title intern/co-op is somehow superior to part-time employee is crazy. It's just semantics. You seem to think you can't work part time while being a student, but the only thing that would necessarily be different is your title. Basically, I'm saying you shouldn't turn down the opportunity for a part-time job if it's applicable to what you want to do because you want to have the title "intern" that is somehow magically better.

3/5/2008 11:25:38 AM

Well, sure you shouldn't turn down the opportunity. But I had 0 part time opportunities to work in my field but plenty of coop/intern opportunities.

3/5/2008 11:29:27 AM

I had two internships.

The first one was a paid summer deal as a sports writer at The Gaston Gazette. I covered a local summer league baseball team. The pay wasn't great, but it was enough. I basically just called them and asked if they had any work available for the summer. The sports editor told me to send him my resume and some samples. I did, and he called back to set up an interview and offered the position at the end of the interview.

The second one was an unpaid internship as a sports writer at The Chapel Hill News. It was set up through the English department at State. If you're in CHASS and want a writing-type deal for an internship, they are a GREAT resource.

I told the guy what I wanted (sports writing internship), filled out a short application and he found me a position. It was coupled with a class (Eng 350, I believe), and some other people worked at a PR firm, a publishing company, other newspapers, etc.

These internships, along with my experience at Techncian, DIRECTLY contributed to being hired as a staff writer at a newspaper in South Carolina, which helped me get accepted for a master's program at State, which DIRECTLY contributed to my new position as an account executive at a PR firm in Raleigh.

Sorry, words.

3/5/2008 12:38:59 PM

has anyone done any political science/research/policy/legal type internships. the field is pretty broad. i've applied to some internships at sas, lenovo, and a couple of non-profits. i've already worked on 2 campaigns AND worked at the NCGA. i'm starting to feel like my political science degree is completely worthless. does anyone have a job with a poli sci degree that is poli sci related? or even humanities related? i feel like everyone that majors in humanties goes on to do something completely unrelated to their degree.

does anyone know anything about doing a masters at state and being a TA? or doing a masters elsewere and being a TA? do you need a mat to teach college, or just a doctorate degree?

i have a BA in poli sci, and i'm in law school to supplement that degree (not necessarily to be a lawyer). i just want to do something productive and interesting with my summers. and ideally something that will help my career prospects in the long run. i'm thinking next summer i'm going to have to go up to D.C. and do something unpaid. the only problem is as a lowly grad student i don't have tons (any) of $$$$ to do unpaid work.

3/5/2008 4:21:10 PM

Quote :

"political science degree is completely worthless"

I would have never thought such a thing...ever...not in a million years even

3/5/2008 4:25:33 PM

I've got a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in journalism, and I finished my master's in communication in December.

I worked in newspaper for a while, and now I'm in PR.

Polisci was semi-helpful at my newspaper job, but it was DEFINITELY not a waste because I enjoyed it enough to keep going to class and get good grades, which I can't say about my foray into engineering when I first arrived at State. I hated that shit, and it was only the introductory courses.

3/5/2008 4:25:43 PM

no i love poli sci, that is why i majored in it. i just feel like with humanities you need a master's or some kindof advanced degree to get a job in the field doing something that directly relates to your degree. i mean to be a political analyst they want you to at least have a master's in poli sci, international studies, etc etc. i mean thats the main reason i'm in grad school, because it seemed difficult to find a job doing something that i like without an advanced degree. or i guess the flip side of that is experience---when looking for jobs you'd always need several years of experience. a lot of times an advanced degree could override the experience req. its just hard to get experience if you need exerpience to get anything at all...if that makes sense.

i don't understand ^^ post.

3/5/2008 4:41:04 PM

If you're in law school then why don't you apply for a summer internship at a law firm?

3/5/2008 4:46:09 PM

because i don't want to be a lawyer

and i have. but that is a back up plan. i'm looking for something more....engaging? that isn't the right word. i don't want to work at a law firm though.

3/5/2008 4:54:19 PM

so what exactly were you hoping to do with this law degree?

3/5/2008 6:20:09 PM

i mean i might want to be an attorney but not in some huge firm...hence my problemo of finding paid internships. there are plenty of unpaid internships in the govt, etc. those are the jobs i'd like to have when i graduate, but i am poor and need a paying internship while in school. or atleast for this summer. if i can save up some money from my loans and from this summer, then i'm going to try to do an unpaid internship next summer or go abroad.

and ideally i'd like to go on to get my PhD in poli sci or an LLM in international law. or perhaps a master's in national security. and i don't know what i want to do exactly. in an ideal world i would graduate and land a job at the UN in NYC or an analyst job in the CIA. and i wouldn't mind teaching at the collegiate level either. theres plenty of stuff you can do with a law degree besides become a lawyer in the traditional sense.

here's what i don't want to do: sit in a cubicle (or office, whatever works) and push paper around all day

3/5/2008 6:26:05 PM

I did a BS in Business Management (Finance) and BA in Economics. Another thing I thought worth mentioning...many of the internships with big corporations (at least for business-type positions) like Bank of America, Wachovia, etc recruit around now (might even be a little late on some) so start looking early. I did a summer internship with Vanguard and the first interview was in December.

NCSU's recruiting is pretty thin for most of the finance jobs I was interested in, so I had to apply through company websites most of the time. Not sure what it's like for other majors.

3/5/2008 6:34:22 PM