r/ECE • u/mangomilk898 • Apr 15 '26
CAREER Junior cooked in the EE field?
As the title suggests. If this kind of post isn't allowed, feel free to delete.
I applied to and was accepted into college as an EE major. Before college, GOING to college was kind of my only goal(tbh I kind of didn't even expect to exist this far), and so now that I was accepted and on campus, I didn't really know what to do after. First and second year of college, I wasn't even really sure if I wanted to stay EE, but I thugged it out. Result: shitty GPA and 0 clubs or extracurriculars, but somehow still on track to graduate. Now, I've actually gotten to take a few classes I liked! Field and waves, and some analog circuit and signal processing stuff, and I really like some of the more theoretical stuff. Problem is... I still have 0 experience and 0 internships, and I'm supposed to graduate next spring. Part of me wants to go to grad school, but unfortunately, my GPA is kind of cooked. Even if I try to get a job after I graduate, I don't think I can(no internship experience). I have a few personal projects I keep procrastinating finishing because I feel like they're not really "impressive" enough to put on a resume. I didn't get an internship for this upcoming summer(I usually take a class or two over the summer, but also lwk js got rejected from all of the ones I did apply to). I just don't know the best way to utilize my senior year. Idek if I'm cut out for the field atp. I'm not looking to make it to some big tech company or anything, I just want to get A JOB in the EE field.
Also, I'm really not trying to larp being ee ok?
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u/Ok_Truck_7455 Apr 15 '26
If you want to be an EE then you’re gonna have to buckle up and strap in… as an engineer who didn’t really get any formal internships. I just worked two factory jobs on the plant floor (one being at Tesla). During interviews for full time jobs. it went very far that I was willing to do this and it showed drive and initiative.. if I were you I’d start working on a production line asap and network within the factory. It could lead to more relevant experiences. Also kinda shot that you didn’t do any clubs or literally remotely try whatsoever to be an engineering outside of scraping by in your classes.. I’d recommend you start trying! That’s literally all you have to do. And if you can’t even try to accomplish your “goal” of becoming an EE then it might be time to take a hard look in the mirror and truly assess your future. Godspeed.
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Apr 16 '26
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u/Ok_Truck_7455 Apr 16 '26
I went 0/82 on internships when applying (yes I kept track and it’s accurate), went to every career fair, networked on LinkedIn, was a college athlete, was in engineering honor society. I had everything going for me except for relevant engineering experience outside of course work... I was even offering to do internships for free to get experience. I couldn’t believe how hard it was… I really had to fake it until I made it… granted I went into automation/controls engineering so working on a production line was definitely relevant to an extent… I suggested this given I work with a lottttt of EEs… this is 100% a valid path to get into some sort of engineering based experience, specifically within controls/manufacturing environments.
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u/mangomilk898 Apr 15 '26
ye, im definitly willing to do non-design work, I've done a lot of tech work before going to college. I have done other like ig electrical stuff on the side i just don't know if it counts?? ex. Currently in the middle of getting a solar panel and some flood lights integrated into my car's electrical system but i feel like that doesn't really use anything from any of my classes or anything. Like does it need to be super complex? I do kind of regret not really joining any clubs but i plan on changing that next year lol
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u/Ok_Truck_7455 Apr 15 '26
Hands on electrical work like what you mentioned with our car is the type of stuff you talk about in interviews I wouldn’t put it on your resume. Employers are going to value real world experience over that imo.. I built my own home automation system with dashboards integrated into my security cameras and bunch of other shit.. it was a great talking point within my interviews given that it shows drive and initiative…. Really lock in on building up your resume however you possibly can to show that you’re trying and you care.. especially given your poor gpa which I assume is below a 3.0?
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u/mangomilk898 Apr 15 '26
yea… gpa bad. i’ve been pulling it up this year compared to previous years. still dot think it’ll pass 3.0 though unfortunately.
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u/Ok_Truck_7455 Apr 16 '26
You’re really just gonna have to do everything you can to build your resumes up and land interviews from there you’re gonna have to be one hell of a salesmen… but hey everyone loves a good comeback story.. use it as your pitch… honestly I’d even make some bullshit up about how you were going through a rough patch in your life, then things clicked for you and you locked in… managers will eat that shit up… if you truly want it, you can make it happen. Good luck!
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Apr 15 '26
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u/mangomilk898 Apr 16 '26
ye but like no my gpa is bad bad lolol but depending on the job market i think ill try anyways
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Apr 16 '26
Brother you need to lock in one way or another. You have a bad GPA and you think your personal projects are lame so you don’t finish them. To me it sounds like you have no drive.
Everything is in your control. You decide your fate. I think you know the answer to your question. Lock in.
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u/mangomilk898 Apr 16 '26
yea i mean i mentioned that i wasn't locked in first and second yr bc motivation has been a huge issue(still is, but a lot better). I've been fixing my gpa but i just was not sure what the other things to spend my time on is.
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Apr 16 '26
Work on your projects regardless of how dumb they are. Companies want employees who see things through. If you have a bunch of completed projects you look like someone who can take initiative. A lot of students aren’t that and you can differentiate yourself that way.
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u/WPI94 Apr 15 '26
Does your school expect a senior project? If so, target your preferred field and make it awesome!
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u/NewSchoolBoxer Apr 15 '26
Line breaks would help. You have academic advisors and professors in your ECE department and classmates to ask. Start on those extracurriculars. Where I went let anyone do undergrad research since it was a research university. Also look at team competition clubs like Formula SAE. I traded job opportunities in the student IEEE club. Personal projects won't help. I did none
Another track is become well-rounded and do non-engineering things. I tutored kids in math at the library and played intramural soccer and planned hiking trips. Recruiters seemed to like my taking initiative. You don't have to go that way like I did but if your interests are non-engineering, prove it on a resume by showing your passion.
University prestige matters. A lot easier getting a job when 200 companies show up every year at career fairs to recruit engineering students. Make use of the opportunity you get for free. You can't transfer with bad grades and need 2 years where I went to get a degree. If overall GPA is at least 3.0 then just list that. If the odds are against you, step up the application game. In apocalyptic CS, people submit over 1000 applications hoping for 1 job at piece of crap CS program with no internship.
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u/mangomilk898 Apr 16 '26
my uni's ece dept is like one of the best ones in the country(how i got in, idk) my gpa is just low ash so i didn't list it.
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u/WhiteLotus_1776 Apr 16 '26
No offense, but you really need to tighten up your grammar and spelling as well. You’re going to have to write reports as an EE.
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u/mangomilk898 Apr 16 '26
i know, i just didn’t pay much attention to it on the post
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u/Fit-Student464 Apr 18 '26
Get in the habit, no matter what you are writing or what the platform/reason is. Goes a long way.
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u/AndrewCoja Apr 16 '26
You don't need an internship to get a job. Sometimes an internship is just a possibility to get a job at that company and no one else cares about it. A project doesn't have to be impressive. Even if you don't think it is impressive, someone else might think it is. The important thing is to have a goal for the project that makes you accomplish and/or learn something and then achieve that goal.
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u/holywarss Apr 16 '26
Stmicroelectronics has some internship openings right now, and for interns, they're looking for someone that's curious, mostly! Make sure you format your resume well, and see what comes of it.
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u/Real-Bend6135 Apr 16 '26
Idk why you didnt say you are a college athlete, thats a big commitment. I think grad schools would respect that, and use your schools’ network (faculty and stuff) to make that aspect of you shine
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u/mangomilk898 Apr 16 '26
i’m not, i was just not prepared for college and had no clue what to do bc no one told me exactly what to do and i wasn’t used to having to actually plan my life
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u/Far_Document4711 Apr 16 '26
What is ur gpa?
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u/mangomilk898 Apr 16 '26
~2.5 ish
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u/Far_Document4711 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Not amazing..but not the worst. Honestly bro just stack up hella projects..like literally anything that would look good on a resume and apply everywhere. You lowkey have nothing to loose. Get any job…like any job… you aren’t in a high enough level to be picky. After that then you will be fine cause the GPA wouldn’t matter as much.
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u/WaterFromYourFives Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
I was in a similar boat as you. I cannot stress this enough. Your main goal is to graduate, period. Don’t flunk especially if you are starting to enjoy it! You need the paper to get your foot in the door at most places.
Your secondary goal should be to dive into a startup or design team. I would push you to go the startup route. Take on as much responsibility as you can bear.
Your third goal should be to network as much as possible in your final year. You never know which colleague is going to hook you up with an opportunity. Your fourth goal should be to try and have fun/enjoy what you are grinding on. This field is brutal and it is critical you leave with some love and respect for the game.
My career has grown because despite shit gpa I could prove that I bring value when things matter. Getting shit done and getting it done well so the business makes money.
My colleagues that got 4.0’s but no dirty hands almost had a harder time getting the jobs they wanted because they had no way of appearing different from the other 4.0 gpa squeaky clean students.
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u/sturdy-guacamole Apr 15 '26
Side projects. They help a lot.
A million graduates want to get a job.
Use your curriculum + skills needed on entry level job descriptions youre interested in and make some projects.
> I have a few personal projects I keep procrastinating finishing because I feel like they're not really "impressive" enough to put on a resume
Like what?
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u/mangomilk898 Apr 15 '26
a distortion pedal that was supposed to be a Christmas present,(i referenced a schematic but added some other stuff to it), currently stuck in the digital simulation stage(want to pcb it after breadboarding it),
i bought floodlights on hella sale for my car and started figuring out the wiring and controls, decided I wanted it to be extra off-road vibes, so now trying to figure out how to install a solar panel to my car's electrical system too :skull: maybe might add a charging screen or light status indicator, idk
i just don't know if its even ece related(or maybe im js lurking reddit too hard)
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u/VinsanityJr Apr 16 '26
Absolutely finish that distortion pedal! Completing a PCB tapeout is good experience.
Employers are willing to look past a low GPA if you've shown that you can do the work, and improving a system & testing it is good experience.
From what I hear, test/validation engineers don't always have high GPA requirements if you can show that you know what you're talking about, but I'm not in that field so I can't speak for certain.
Edit: Also, clearer grammar and line breaks go a long way.
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u/antonIgudesman Apr 15 '26
Gotta use paragraphs my guy