If you just accepted an engineering internship position and you’re thinking “what now?”, this post is for you! Below, we’ll walk through several actions and tips to help you prepare for your internship.
Maybe you have a couple of months to prep for your internship. Or, maybe, you start in a week and you’re frantically trying to figure out what you need to do next. Regardless, it’s going to work out. You can do this!
And before we dig in… Congratulations! I’m so excited for you! Don’t forget to take a moment to celebrate!
If you don’t have an internship lined up yet, no worries. Start here to learn why internships are important for engineering students and how to get one.
Quick side note – my background is in aerospace engineering with a focus on human space exploration. While those are the experiences I’m drawing on to write this article, these actions likely apply to many kinds of internships, especially those in STEM-related fields. I hope this article is helpful regardless of where you’re coming from!
1. Research
One of the first things you can (and should) do is research the company you’ll be interning at. And, if you’re moving to a new town for your internship, you’ll also want to research your new town.
Feeling overwhelmed?
Feeling overwhelmed by all the things you don’t know today? Take a deep breath and keep these thoughts in mind:
- You don’t have to cram in a bunch of research all at once. Write down questions as they pop into your mind and you can try to answer them as you have time. If you’re limited on time (like most students!), prioritize questions you need to answer before your internship starts.
- You don’t need to be an expert. Take it one day at a time. The goal is simply to know enough information to get started. You’ll learn so much more once you start your internship! I’ve been working at the same place for over ten years and I’m still constantly learning new things.
Methods of research
There’s no right or wrong when it comes to how to research your company and your town. Here are some ideas:
- Search engines like Google are always a great place to start. As you learn more, write down new keywords or phrases you can use for future searches.
- Dig through any employee resource websites that your company gives you.
- You should have a point of contact that your company will assign to help you prep for your internship. I’m calling this an “intern coordinator” throughout this article. Don’t hesitate to ask them questions!
- Talk to fellow students who have interned there (or in a similar company) before. Don’t know who’s worked there before? Ask around or use sites like LinkedIn or Facebook to find people you may already know or who attend the same school as you.
- Ask your college advisor.
- Ask a question on sites like quora.com.
A note of caution – as you research, you’ll still need to use your own best judgment. Some people are better at giving advice than others. Some sites may give you conflicting information.
Research topics
We’ll talk about topics to research throughout this article, but here are a few general suggestions to spark your brain:
- Review your job description again. Are there any unfamiliar terms you should learn about before your internship begins?
- Start learning the lingo. You’ll see different terms used in different industries or in different companies.
- Do you know what part of the company you’ll be working in? For example, if you know you’ve been assigned to a production team, try to focus your research on what that production team does at that company.
- Research the industry, including competitor companies and collaborating companies.
- Who’s the CEO? Who’s your boss? Review any organizational charts that your intern coordinator provides you with. Look up people on LinkedIn to see their backgrounds.
- What big events are happening in that industry? Look up news articles or follow your company on social media to get news alerts.
- What will you need to bring on your first day (passport, driver’s license, etc.)?
Fill out forms
If your intern coordinator or human resource representative needs you to complete any forms, get that done ASAP. Employment forms, benefit forms, background checks… don’t hesitate to fill out any forms that are required.
Every company has different processes, so these forms may vary from company to company. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you don’t understand a portion of the form, just ask.
A note on benefits
Many companies have employee resources sites to help you through the benefits process. Some companies may even have dedicated benefits counselors to help you through the process (because, let’s face it, benefits like health care can be super confusing).
Sites like nerdwallet.com can also help educate you on retirement plans, health care plans, taxes, and cost of living estimations. When it comes to your personal health and finances, it’s always a good idea to arm yourself with knowledge. But, you also don’t need to know everything all at once. Learn as you go.
Your benefits as an intern may or may not be different from a full-time employee. It depends on your internship program. Take advantage of the benefits that help you and simply don’t sign up for the benefits you don’t need. For example, if you already have a student health care plan, you may not need to sign up for your company’s health care plan during your internship.
2. Organize your relocation
Many engineering interns end up traveling to a new city, a new state, or even a new country. If this applies to you, you’ll need to figure out how you’ll get there and where you’ll be living. We’ll walk through both of these actions below.
If you’ll be interning at a local company, skip these actions. Instead, focus on planning your daily commute. Will you be walking, driving, carpooling, or taking public transportation to your job?
If you’ll be working remotely from your home, replace relocation or commuting logistics with setting up a home “office”. Make sure you have internet access and a comfortable place to work. Work with your intern coordinator to receive any necessary equipment, such as a laptop. For most engineering students, this is not a common option… unless, of course, we’re in midst of a pandemic, as we learned in 2020.
In general, make sure you clearly understand what the company is paying for upfront, what you need to cover until the company is able to reimburse you (generally 1-3 weeks after you start working), and what expenses you’ll be paying entirely out-of-pocket.
Arrange travel
Understand your travel benefits
Some companies may have travel coordinators that will book travel for you. Other companies may reimburse some or all of your travel expenses after you start working. If your company helps to cover your travel expenses, make sure you follow all their instructions so you don’t miss out on this benefit.
Unfortunately, there are also companies that do not offer any relocation benefits. Maybe it’s a company that mainly hires interns from their local community, maybe they offer other benefits that make up for your out-of-pocket travel expenses, or maybe they’re simply cheap. Hopefully, you asked about relocation expenses during the interview process so this isn’t a shock to you. If you’re struggling to cover your relocation costs, I’ve got some additional funding tips for you later in this article.
Travel tips
Arrive several days before your internship starts.
This will give you time to get settled into your new place. It will also give you some margin if your travel plans get delayed. You don’t want to be rushed and stressed!
Will you need a car during your internship?
If you can’t walk, bike, carpool, or take public transportation to work, you may want to consider driving so that you have a car with you for the entire internship. Though, of course, if you’re relocating to an island (like Hawaii) or to another country, driving may not be possible.
If you’re driving…
Consider these questions and tips if you’ll be driving to a new town, especially if you have a long distance to drive.
- Will everything you need fit in your vehicle? If you want to bring large items, like furniture, you may need to do some extra planning.
- Do you want a friend to drive with you? If so, make sure they have a way back home.
- How long will you drive each day and where will you stop for the night? Only stop in areas where you feel safe. If you’re bringing a pet, you may need to stop more often and make sure you book pet-friendly hotel rooms.
- Print a map of your route or download an offline map on your phone in case you lose reception.
- Make sure you have a phone charger. You don’t want to face a dead phone if you get rerouted or if you’re in an accident.
- Drive safe! If you feeling sleepy, put on some new music, call a friend, or just stop. It’s not worth getting a car crash!
- Where will you park when you get to your destination? Some cities make parking a challenge.
If you’re planning to take a plane or a train…
- How much stuff do you need to bring with you? How many bags will you need?
- Will you need to ship anything ahead of time?
- How will you get from the airport or train station to your new home? Uber? Public transportation? A friend?
Set up housing
If you need to temporarily move to a new town for your internship, you’ll also need to find temporary lodgings. This can be a real challenge depending on where you’ll be located and what intern benefits you have.
Housing benefits
Let’s talk about housing benefits first. Internship programs vary greatly when it comes to housing benefits. Chances are you’ll be in one of these situations:
- For some of you lucky ducks, housing is provided by your company or internship program. Maybe they have some dedicated apartments they rent out just for interns. Or maybe they have an agreement with a nearby college to use vacant dorm rooms during the summer. Your internship coordinator should be able to provide you with the details, such as far away you’ll be from work, if you’ll have roommates, and if your new place comes furnished.
- For you other lucky ducks, you’ll get a housing stipend. You may need to put in the work of securing a place yourself, but a stipend will help cover all (or some) of your rent and other housing expenses. Make sure you understand how much your stipend is, when you’ll receive it, how you’re allowed to use it, and if there are any special processes you need to complete to get it.
- And for you not-so-lucky ducks, you’re completely on your own for housing. That means you need to arrange housing yourself and you won’t be getting any reimbursement for your housing expenses. Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon. I was in this boat for all my engineering internships, so I know how you’re feeling right now. Keep reading below for more tips. Make sure you still talk with your intern coordinator about housing. They may at least have recommendations or other helpful information to assist with your housing search.
Housing ideas
If need to secure your own housing (situations #2 and #3 from above), here are some housing ideas for you:
- Find a full-time employee that’s willing to rent out a spare bedroom. This is probably your lowest-cost option. I did this for all my internships. For my first internship, I found someone who was looking for a roommate in a company chat room. For my other internships, my center had a housing guide that helped me find rooms to rent. Make sure to do your research. You want to ensure you’re in a safe situation and you’ll want to understand provided by your host (like bedroom furniture).
- Look for a short-term apartment lease either by yourself or with a few roommates. Apartment complexes will usually charge you more for a short 2-4 month lease and even more if it’s furnished. But that cost might be worth it for the convenience.
- Use apps like Zillow Rentals to find a house or condo to rent. Renting a house, especially when costs are split with several roommates, maybe a cheaper option in some towns.
- Rent an apartment for a year and sublease it out when you aren’t using it yourself. I did this with my college housing. Since I was a co-op where I interned every other semester, I didn’t need an apartment for a whole year. So, I used it for the fall semester and subleased it to another co-op for the spring semester while I was interning.
- If you or your parents have money to spare, consider buying a house and renting out spare rooms to other interns every semester. While this isn’t common, I have seen this done. Talk with a financial advisor and a real estate agent if you’re considering this option.
- If you’re still struggling to find housing, get even more creative. Are there nearby colleges that may have dorm room vacancies? Are there Airbnbs or long-term vacation rentals in that area? I had a friend who found a way to live on a yacht for his internship and another friend that renovated an old school bus into a mobile tiny home. Think outside the box.
Additional housing questions
- Does your company have a housing guide or a site where interns (or even other employees) can ask for subleases or roommates?
- How will you commute to work every day? Some cities have fantastic public transportation, so you may want to find a place near a train station. Or you may be able to find a place that’s close enough to walk or bike to work. In other towns, you may need a car or find a way to carpool.
- How close are grocery stores or restaurants?
- Do you need a place that’s already furnished?
- Are you willing to live with someone else? What are you willing to accept or not accept in a roommate? What will make you feel safe? Do you have allergies to pets?
3. Buy a few work outfits
Engineers have a whole range of work environments, so you’ll need to do some of your own research here. Maybe you’ll be mostly sitting in an office or in meetings. Maybe you’ll be working in an airplane hangar or in a nuclear power plant. Maybe you’ll be working in various labs. The options are endless. You may even work in a lot of different environments in the same internship.
With that in mind, a good goal is to have at least a week’s worth of work clothes. You can buy more clothes later once you know what kind of work you’ll be doing. Some companies will even provide additional clothing for you, like fire-resident overalls or steel-toe boots, if your job requires special protective gear.
Research before you buy
Does your company have a dress code? Ask your intern coordinator. If your intern coordinator tells you what you need to wear, follow their advice. If your coordinator isn’t sure, ask what kind of facilities (offices, labs, etc.) you may be working in.
You can also ask friends who have interned there before. Or, Google search images for your company. How formal are they? Some companies are known for laid-back attire like Google or SpaceX. Other companies have a more formal suit-and-tie culture.
Not sure what to wear on your first day?
If you’ve done some research and you’re still not sure what to wear on your very first day, it’s usually a safe bet to wear a business casual outfit for most engineering companies in the US.
Here’s an example:
- Shirt: A simple dress shirt or a blouse in a neutral color like white, grey, or blue.
- Pants: Blue or grey dress slacks are a good middle-of-the-road option. They aren’t as formal as black pants and aren’t as casual as khakis.
- For those of you who like to wear skirts: you may want to save those for later, after you learn about the environment you’ll be working in. While I personally love wearing skirts and dresses (especially in hot Houston summers), I can tell you from experience that it can be a bit awkward to climb ladders or crawl into a mockup while wearing one… which might happen if you get a tour on your first day.
- Shoes: flat closed-toed, comfortable shoes will allow you to go straight into a tour of labs, machine shops, or other facilities that generally require flat closed-toed shoes.
- A blazer may also be a good option if you have one. Put on the blazer if you’re feeling underdressed (also handy if you get chilly because the AC is set way too low). And take the blazer off if you’re feeling overdressed.
Don’t overthink it. It’s going to be okay. You have an entire internship to make a good impression. During your first day, observe what other employees are wearing to help you decide what to wear the next day.
Be confident
Whatever you decide to wear, be confident! Make sure your clothes fit you well and get them tailored if they don’t. Mend any holes. Make sure they are clean and stain-free. You can even practice wearing your outfits so you feel comfortable and confident by the time your internship starts.
Related article: Boost your self-confidence!
4. Get creative with funding
The “broke” college student stereotype is, unfortunately, a stereotype for a reason. If you’re struggling to find the funds for your non-reimbursable relocation expenses, get creative. Not having enough money is definitely a challenge, but you can do this!
Personally, my first engineering internship with full of cheap PB&J lunches, renting a room in an apartment from someone I never met before, a ton of walking, and long daily bus rides. It wasn’t pretty, but I had the right mindset. I was determined to make it work. I viewed it as an adventure. And I learned to enjoy the challenge.
So, how can you get creative when it comes to limiting your expenses?
Could you carpool with a fellow intern? Could you rent a spare room from a full-time employee or share a place with some roommates? Is there a way to find a sponsor, a scholarship, sell some belongings, or other means to raise funds?
Could you get a loan from a family member until you get your first couple of paychecks? Could you sign up for a credit card that has zero interest for the next year? But please don’t go crazy with your new card. Make sure you have a plan to pay off those expenses as soon as possible… avoid the credit-card-debt-sinkhole!
What else can you do to save money on everyday expenses, like food and internet? Also, checkout “12 Strategies to minimize your college debt now.”
While being a “broke college student” is certainly a challenge, there are some of you in more dire circumstances. If you’re facing homelessness as a student or you’re in a financial situation that is making you feel like it’s impossible to finish your degree. Don’t give up on your dreams. Know there are resources (like in this guide) that can help.
And if you just need a laugh when your lack-of-finances are getting you down… this boredpanada.com post shows just how creative broke students can be. 😀
5. Connect with your team
This may not be possible for everyone, but if you have a chance, connect with a few people before you start your internship.
If your intern coordinator gives you the email of your assigned mentor or manager, send them an email before your internship starts. Keep it simple. Mention what you’re looking forward to about this internship and ask if there’s anything else you need to do before you arrive.
If you know of other interns who will be starting at the same time as you, you may also want to reach out to them. It can be really helpful to have a support network of your peers.
6. Don’t panic! Be excited!
This is a super exciting time, so let yourself be excited! It’s also totally understandable if you’re nervous. It can be scary to move to a new place and start your career for the first time. But, don’t let it stress you out.
Take it one day at a time.
You’ve got this!