Job and Internship Salary Comparisons?

spydabyte writes "I'm a current undergraduate at the Georgia Institute of Technology and have been getting offers for internships next summer. I was wondering if there is a source of information on intern markets or how a market's competitive salaries are. How do you know if you're getting a decent offer or you deserve more when you're entering a (personally) new market? Is there a definite source? Do you have your favorite? I know that many factors matter, as in location, previous experience, etc., but I think there's more to find out besides asking for my friends' current offers. If not internships, how about full time or careers? Any ideas?"

Comments

If you're getting paid...

[sshuber]

then take it and be happy. I'm in a paying internship myself at roughly 12.50/hour for web application development. I have a lot of friends who are also in internships required for their major and earn zip, zilch, nada. I'm not aware of any listing of standard pay rates, but anything over $10 an hour should be more than you would make jockeying a register at Radioshack and you will be earning valuable work experience which is worth much, much more than any monetary compensation. When you go for that first job interview that work experience will shine through. I'm sure any employer would want someone with experience over someone without any day of the week.

Re:If you're getting paid...

[Artraze]

Well, the way it usually goes is that technical internships pay (I've not seen any that don't), and non-technical ones don't (some will give minimum wage). So I don't think "if they pay" is nearly and relevant as "if they hire you".

That being said, they're almost always ballpark $12/hr these days. Some will go as low as $10, and one company I knew used to pay $17+, but they since dropped to $12-ish as well. Either way, the pay's better than anything else, so don't worry about it; these things are mostly about resume building anyway.

One thing I will stress though (enough for it's own paragraph!) is to make sure the one you choose will have use for you. I've seen far too many interns twiddling their thumbs because they're poorly managed, and nobody wants to just sit there and kill time for a couple months. So make sure that the work is interesting and a priority (as much as one can expect for and intern) for the company. That's worth more than a couple extra bucks and hour.

Re:If you're getting paid...

[DarthMAD]

I'm currently an undergrad software engineering intern at Lockheed Martin, and I get paid a little more than $18 an hour... and the experience is invaluable - pretty much from day 1, I've been doing the work of a professional software engineer, never doing stereotypical "intern work" like getting coffee and donuts. Incidentally, if you're wondering how I got this job, my previous qualifications were a mediocre (3.3ish) GPA at a state university which has a good computer science and engineering program but is generally poorly regarded otherwise. I had a single brief interview over the phone which involved no technical questions. Smaller companies are more likely to want previous experience, since they can't afford to really train you on the job as well. I agree with Artraze entirely that you have to choose a position that's right for you. If you get an internship at a large company, and you are unsatisfied with your assignment, they can probably move you to another project - remember, it's not like school - they want you to succeed because they are trying to develop you as an asset to the company.

well for an internship

[gangien]

for an internship i'd say forget which pays you better. if you have multiple offers, get the one that you think will be better in the long run. IE they often hire interns full time, or they offer great networking capabilities, or which would be more challenging/fun/interesting.

Re:well for an internship

[Itchyeyes]

Agreed. Just like shouldn't didn't pick your college based on what's cheapest, you shouldn't pick an internship based on what pays best. You're doing both to boost your future earnings potential, not present earnings.

Networking and exposure to industry practices are far more important. Pick your internship based on these, and consider any pay a bonus.

don't worry about it...

[goofballs]

accepting or not accepting an internship based on compensation... sounds really dumb. pick an internship based on what you're going to learn and how it's going to prep you for the future, as well as if it's going to make you more competitive when getting your first 'real' job. as an intern, you're probably not going to be able to negotiate that offer, but you're that's not the case with the first job.

Re:don't worry about it...

[SatanicPuppy]

Agreed. Internships are there for looking impressive on your CV, not for making you rich. If you get paid, so much the better, but it's better to do something awesome and not get paid, than to get paid for doing something lame.

Re:don't worry about it...

[Cadallin]

Yes. Internships aren't about raking in the bling.

Internships are like modern apprenticeships. They are to gain experience working with a professional, preferably one as experience and respected in their field as possible. Its also extremely helpful if said professional has some talent at teaching.

If at all possible you should decide on an internship based on reports from people who have interned there previously that you respect, plus information on how well regarded in their field the person or company to be interning with is.

Re:don't worry about it...

[snl2587]

I disagree: this really depends on the field the person seeking the internship is entering, and whether or not that person is planning on graduate/postdoc studies leading to a career in academia. Certain areas of study (some of the engineering disciplines come to mind) pay very well for most of the positions available for doing very similar work, and it pays to look around. And as for those going to grad school long-term: getting a well-paying internship ahead of the stipend makes the bank account much less stressful to look at.

Then again, there's something to be said for actually enjoying the summer's (or semester's) work, and not everyone actually needs the money. So it really comes down to what's most important or necessary to the individual.

Take what you can get.

[jellomizer]

For internships it is not about how much but what you will pick up. You can get paid say $15 with a big company but you just may be serving coffee. Or you can get $10 an hour as a smaller company and you are actually getting real work experience. Which may be the difference later on a starting real job out of college of $35,000 a year vs. $45,000 a year (depending on location and cost of living) Also check to see if the company is willing to hire you as a full paid employee after you graduate (with say preferential treatment) or you will have just the same opportunity as the rest.

More important

[Reality Master 101]

Money is nice and I can appreciate that a broke college student would want to maximize that, but that's short-term thinking. I would focus on:

1) What sort of industry relationships can I foster. If there is one lesson I've learned, it's that the most critical factor in success is who you know. Both in finding future employment and mentoring relationships.

2) What skills can I learn *that will look on a resume*. New grads always complain about, "They want experience, but how can I get experience when they won't hire me???" Well, this is how. You want as much experience doing real work as possible.

Honestly, working for free is worth it if you can get really great situation that fulfills #1 and #2. Be patient. The paychecks will come. Take advantage of your opportunities first.

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Comment removed based on user account deletion

INterships are about

[geekoid]

contacts.

Which company is more likely to ahve contacts for your career goal?

Forget the intern salary numbers. Keep your eye on your end game.

Re:glassdoor

[BronsCon]

He feels unwelcome because he's not considered a citizen yet. He's here on a visa. What rights does he not have that I do? Honestly, not many.

He can't collect Social Security, though he's paying into it. Neither can I right now. Eventually, I'll be able to; so will he.

Medicare is not available to him, nor is it available to me. Eventually, I'll be old enough to make use of it; so will he.

I can rely on the police, firemen and ambulances when I need them. So can he.

I can speak my mind freely, so can he.

I can bear arms. I'm not sure where the law stands as far as him and, honestly, I'd hope we're not allowing people who are here on visa to carry weapons. Again, something he'll be able to do once he becomes a citizen.

Possibly no right to bear arms for a few years seems a small price to pay for a free MD PhD. Hell, I'd give up my right to own a firearm for 10 years if the US Government was going to put my through premed, med school and postmed courses for that period of time. I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Other than that, he really has every right I do.

If you don't like the terms, you shouldn't have signed up. Quit taking more than you're paying in, bitching about it the whole while, pack up and go home.

You're more than welcome here if you're willing to abide by the terms you agreed to when you came here. If you have a problem with that, why are you here in the first place?

Do a 180 and appreciate that you actually have more of an advantage in this country right now than many, if not most, who were BORN here. Then, I'll welcome you to my country. Hell, do that and I'll do whatever I can to make your new life here the best it can be.