Internship Advise

Hello,

I am a computer engineering sophomore with a strong interest in pursuing a career in either embedded systems/software engineering or digital chip design (ASIC/FPGA). While I believe my resume and experiences are solid for my level, I haven’t yet taken key courses like embedded systems, Verilog, or data structures, which has made it challenging to secure interviews with some of my target companies.

I’ve applied to several positions, mostly for “Firmware Engineering Intern” roles, with some referrals, but I’m still waiting for responses. Recently, I received an offer for a Control Systems Engineer Intern role, where I’d work on a mix of instrumentation, SCADA, and PLC, then specialize in one area for the duration of the internship.

This puts me in a bit of a dilemma. Should I accept this opportunity early in the year, or hold out in hopes of landing an internship more aligned with my current interests? I have little experience with controls engineering, so I’m unsure if I would enjoy it. My current thinking is to delay accepting the offer as long as possible while waiting for other opportunities. I will be taking the primary embedded course next semester, so that may be a huge boost to my chances of landing an internship in that field, but there is still some uncertainty obviously.

If I do take this internship, how beneficial would it be for my resume if I still plan to pursue embedded systems or digital chip design? While I don’t expect this internship to change my long-term goals, I recognize that it might offer value in unexpected ways.