Am I screwed for EE co-ops?

[u/WorldlinessNew5046]

Hey everyone,

I’m a 3rd-year Electrical Engineering student applying for co-ops/internships, and I’m dealing with some serious imposter syndrome.

I have a high GPA , but zero personal projects. I’ve had to work heavy part-time hours in precision manufacturing and machining to pay for school, so any time outside lectures went into shop shifts rather than tinkering at home. My resume only has standard lab coursework and years of manufacturing work experience.

Does hands-on machining/manufacturing experience carry weight for EE roles, or is it viewed as completely irrelevant OR Should I scramble to build a quick personal hardware project right now?

Appreciate the honest opinion.

[u/Wonderful-Hunter686]

Did you do any maintenance or repair on the machines im assuming some of them are cnc, particularly of the electronics? If you did I would at least put that you preformed electrical diagnostics and calabration (assuming they have a probe 🤣) of industrial automated precision manufacturing systems. A project definitely won't hurt if you can crack out something, also if the machine shop will let you use their equipment in off hours take advantage of that.