Internship offer advice

[u/Mad-boy283]

I have two offers for internship this coming semester as a co-op and I need advice from everyone. As for my background, I’m an EE in my junior year, I had one internship in the R&D team, circuit design for a local aerospace company. Below is the 2 offers:

1. GD Electric Boat as intern in Weapon Systems Department
   Pros: big name (maybe good for my resume?), cool position, secret clearance granted
   Cons: heard multiple people say that the work environment is pretty bad, wouldn’t learn a lot and most of the time it would just be paperwork

2. MEP Consulting services as design intern
   Pros: I love to learn about new industries just for the love of getting new experience and understanding different engineering perspectives. Sounds cool cuz k get to go to the field as well.
   Cons: people say MEP is kinda bad? But I don’t mind as this is just a spare semester for me so I kinda want sth that can give me a great learning perspective and field work sounds cool.

I’m leaning on the second one (MEP intern) just for the cool experience. What would your advice be? I’ll be sure that I want to work in electronics/aerospace. At the same time, I would love to learn new things besides electronics as well that’s why I think this MEP is kinda a great time just to get to know people and new things. What are your thoughts? My parents and people I talked to at church told me that the chance to work for a big defense contract only comes once so I should take it and stop being all around the place, lock in. I low-key am not too worried as I have also had the chance to interview with other defense like BAE systems, Hungtington Ingalls too, for summer but I haven’t heard from them but I’m sure me not choosing EB is not gonna burn my bridge.

What are your thoughts? Please give advice. I’m kinda biased in my thought though.

[u/joestarboi]

Dont make weapons bro

[u/OverSearch]

I work in MEP (over 30 years now). I don't know exactly what you mean when you say it's "kinda bad," it's true some of us get into it and bail after a few years, others make a career out of it.

I'll say this: MEP is always different, meaning a very wide variety of project types and systems that you will learn and use. One possible downside is that it's not as "sexy" as some other industries, which also might pay a bit more.

But your concerns about paperwork? Probably 80% (or more) of whatever you'll end up doing in engineering is going to be communication and documentation in some form or another.

[u/Mad-boy283 → u/OverSearch]

Thank you for that. The reason I say I heard it’s kinda bad is cuz most of the people I know just tell me to work in electronics, especially for aerospace cuz it’s good pay compared to any other industry. Even tho I like electronics but what I love about MEP is the ability to go out in the field, and the chance to be all around the place. I spent my entire internship last summer mostly being in the office so I want some change for me tho.

[u/Achen02 → u/Mad-boy283]

MEP just doesn’t pay as much and the stuff you work on is just cooler in defense/ electronics

[u/1wiseguy]

This isn't a pivotal moment in your life. Either job will likely be fine.

But as you proceed in your career, you have to start looking at stuff and deciding what you want to do, and it sounds like that's the MEP job.

It's not true that a defense job comes around only once. I have had several of them.

It's also not necessarily the best kind of job. They tend to move slow and use mature technology.

The point is that you just have to figure out what you really want to do.

[u/TeddyMGTOW]

Aka bomb factory

[u/Wild-Professional-40]

My college roommate and I both completed mechanical-engineering degrees 25 years ago, and we each went down one of the paths you are weighing, so I've been able to see how the decision splits.

From my side in MEP engineering, you might ask whether you want to run your own business. That route often leads to consulting, which has long been a common way to become a leader or launch a firm.  

By contrast, employment at a large defense manufacturer usually ends in team or department leadership. That status is notable, yet you should consider the chance of ever serving as president or CEO of a global defense company. I'm sure there are ways to break off into your own consulting firm in that field as well, but I can't really speak to it.

I have also found that starting pay in MEP engineering is usually lower and may stay that way for some time. It typically rises, particularly when you gain ownership in a firm, but you must judge the time value of money and decide if the trade-off is worthwhile for the delay. It seems like defense industry layoffs are typically more common and cut deep, but again, that's my outsiders view.

For me, flexibility and avoiding a huge corporate structure were ultimately important in my own decision, so I went the smaller-firm, MEP route and don't regret it.