I Feel Overqualified at my Internship [closed]

Question

I am currently a Mechanical Engineering student interning with a large automotive company. I am part of the Co-Op program with my school which basically means I intern for a semester then go to school for a semester (summers as well) rotating until I graduate. The goal is to work up a relationship with the company so they don’t have to introduce new interns into their company culture, allow the interns to work for extended periods of time (full semesters instead of just summers), and possibly offer a full time position upon completion of the program. When I was hired as a freshman they said I would have the chance to move around and try different positions but I didn’t really realize that I would be working within the same department the entire time just doing slightly different tasks.

I have really not been thrilled with the roles the company has placed me in. My days consist of busy work that could be completed by technicians or people without degrees at all, no offense meant here but I am paying a lot of money to study engineering and I would like to use the skills I have been learning in my classes. I also haven’t learned any technical skills on the job such as new software that could benefit me in the future. I still have a couple more work sessions with the company before my Co-Op is officially over. There are a lot of things I like about the company and I could definitely see myself working here but the department I am in feels like a dead end career wise.

My main question is, should I stay with the company through the completion of the program? I am getting paid well for someone my age and having 10k in savings as a college student is a huge plus. One thing I am afraid of is what I will say when interviewers for my next job ask me about my experience. There really isn’t much to say, I am doing all that I am told to do and there isn’t much room to innovate or take on other tasks. Will future employers look down upon me because the work I was asked to do wasn’t technical at all? As I said before I like the company, just not the department. Will I look bad to the company as a whole if I resign early? If I resign from this program I will not be able to intern with this company, in any department, until after my degree is completed (school policy). The department has also already begun to show interest in hiring me upon graduation which I am definitely against.

Note- I am not able to switch departments without quitting and then being rehired to a new department which isn't allowed because of school policy

Answer 1

My days consist of busy work that could be completed by technicians or people without degrees at all, no offense meant here but I am paying a lot of money to study engineering and I would like to use the skills I have been learning in my classes.

Never place yourself above those who have different backgrounds. You will be surprised as to what you can learn from "people without degrees at all". If you truly meant "no offense" then you would not have made the statement at all.

I also haven’t learned any technical skills on the job such as new software that could benefit me in the future.

There are 'formal' skills that you can learn and there are 'informal' skills. The distinction here is that you are also learning about how a company operates: interpersonal and social interactions, a small 'slice' of the the day to day business of an automotive company. If you believe that all you need to 'make a car' are engineers and machines, you are sorely mistaken.

There are a lot of things I like about the company and I could definitely see myself working here but the department I am in feels like a dead end career wise.

So you ask if you can participate in higher-level discussions, ask if you can shadow your supervisor, shadow another employee who works in research and design. But first, you need to demonstrate that you are skilled and knowledgeable of the basics. In this case, the basics are 'busy work'. As you build your reputation, you can ask that the next time you intern at the company you can work at a dept. of your choosing. Everyone needs to earn their stripes and slog through the mud.

should I stay with the company through the completion of the program?... Will I look bad to the company as a whole if I resign early?

You gave your word. Do you want to be seen as someone who quits because things are boring? Imagine who will hire such a person.

One thing I am afraid of is what I will say when interviewers for my next job ask me about my experience. There really isn’t much to say, I am doing all that I am told to do and there isn’t much room to innovate or take on other tasks. Will future employers look down upon me because the work I was asked to do wasn’t technical at all?

In one of my internships I picked up trash from different locations, sorted each piece of trash, not bags of trash, but handful by handful from the entire university into 4 bins (compost, recycling, paper, and trash) on a conveyer belt for three to four hours per shift outdoors, rain or shine. Did I like it? Hell no. Did I finish the terms of my employment? You bet I did. Before the term ended, I made it clear that I was not interested in returning next semester and that my supervisor should hire someone to replace me.

Part of the purpose of internships is to also determine what you don't want to do in life. Looks like you got a taste of that today.

Answer 2

work that could be completed by technicians or people without degrees at all

Just wanted to point out that, as long as you have not graduated, you are in fact a person without a degree at all. Add to that, that an interns time is usually rather cheap, it actually makes sense to give you the "pedestrian" tasks.

If you are unhappy with your current work situation, I encourage you try to change it within your current organisation first. If you have exhausted all options and still find your employer can´t make you an compelling offer, then it is time to move on. Almost every job will have some elements you won´t like - learn how to negotiate and get the things you want, and this will help you more in your life than any short-term engineering experience!

Answer 3

To complement Daniel and Frank excellent answers, I'd like to insist on a specific point : it is important to understand the job of others. You can't make a proper industrial design if you have no clue on how production workers are actually working.

That's why spending quite a few months doing their job is so important. I know this French automotive supplier company where every new hire, engineer, accountant, commercial, etc., begins by 3 weeks on the production line (or at least did 19 years ago). And that's not random.

You have to understand those people's job to do yours properly. It's long and boring. And very useful.