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Internship vs. Graduate Job

Former Community Member
Former Community Member

Hi,



I am currently a 3rd year MEng engineering student, but I have the option to leave this year with a BEng.



I currently have two job offers: one is a summer internship, the other is a full time graduate role.



However, I am not sure which one to take.



 



Graduate Job Benefits:




  • Full time, permanent job




  • Working in an area which is where I want to work




  • In a city which I prefer




  • No more school.




  • No more applying to jobs



Graduate Job Negatives:




  • Having a BEng as oppose to an MEng will prolong me becoming chartered




  • Starting salary is nothing special




  • No guarantee they will sponsor me to do an MSc (for chartership)



Summer Intern Benefits:




  • Only 8 weeks




  • I can go back to school and finish with an MEng/MSc which helps towards chartership




  • Possibility for sponsorship through final year and guaranteed job




  • I really liked the person who interviewed me



Summer Intern Negatives:




  • No guarantee of a job/sponsorship afterwards




  • In an expensive city and I would need to find accommodation.




  • Not sure what exactly I'll be doing.




  • Much smaller company than graduate job (but still a multinational)



 



One option I considered was doing both, since I could technically fit the 8-week summer placement in after my degree and before I start my graduate job, but that might end up being stressful.



If you were in my position, what would you choose?



Thanks.


Parents
  • Sync:

    I think one thing I definitely need to do is look at what options are available for me to achieve CEng with a BEng, because I know a masters isn't necessarily a requirement.


    All you will need to do is show that your work experience has given you knowledge "equivalent" to a Masters, which is what most candidates seem to do - the majority of candidates I support through their CEng applications have Bachelor's degrees. Normally there is nothing extra that you will need to do in your CEng application (of course, we are trying to use crystal balls to look a few years into the future here!), the only difference is - to put it simply - that the assessment panel will look at the technical knowledge and learning you show in your work in slightly more depth, in line with Roy's post.


    This may sound a bit odd but: if you do find yourself in a position where your job requires CEng, then you should be able to successfully apply for CEng! The point being that your employer will only consider you for such a role if by that time you have developed through your career all the competences which are needed to achieve CEng.


    So I'd really suggest thinking about a career first, and then CEng will fall naturally out of that if it needs to.


    BUT what is really useful to do now is to get hold of a copy of UK Spec (see the link for the upcoming edition which I posted last night on another similar thread in this forum), the requirements, "competences", in there are not just those you'll need to meet for achieving CEng, but more importantly they are the requirements that employers are looking for in their senior technical staff - which of course is why they are the CEng requirements. So they are a good guidebook to the competences you want to be developing over the next few years anyway.


    Oh, and a final thought, you may find in a few years time that you decide to move more towards project or other management rather than the more technical side, many do, in which case IEng may be the more appropriate registration category anyway.


    Cheers,


    Andy


Reply
  • Sync:

    I think one thing I definitely need to do is look at what options are available for me to achieve CEng with a BEng, because I know a masters isn't necessarily a requirement.


    All you will need to do is show that your work experience has given you knowledge "equivalent" to a Masters, which is what most candidates seem to do - the majority of candidates I support through their CEng applications have Bachelor's degrees. Normally there is nothing extra that you will need to do in your CEng application (of course, we are trying to use crystal balls to look a few years into the future here!), the only difference is - to put it simply - that the assessment panel will look at the technical knowledge and learning you show in your work in slightly more depth, in line with Roy's post.


    This may sound a bit odd but: if you do find yourself in a position where your job requires CEng, then you should be able to successfully apply for CEng! The point being that your employer will only consider you for such a role if by that time you have developed through your career all the competences which are needed to achieve CEng.


    So I'd really suggest thinking about a career first, and then CEng will fall naturally out of that if it needs to.


    BUT what is really useful to do now is to get hold of a copy of UK Spec (see the link for the upcoming edition which I posted last night on another similar thread in this forum), the requirements, "competences", in there are not just those you'll need to meet for achieving CEng, but more importantly they are the requirements that employers are looking for in their senior technical staff - which of course is why they are the CEng requirements. So they are a good guidebook to the competences you want to be developing over the next few years anyway.


    Oh, and a final thought, you may find in a few years time that you decide to move more towards project or other management rather than the more technical side, many do, in which case IEng may be the more appropriate registration category anyway.


    Cheers,


    Andy


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