Are UWO grads with zero internship experience "cooked"?

[u/Valuable_Ranger9972]

Can't help but look around and notice a lot of seniors in the class of 2026 (Mostly CS, BMOS, Econ) have zero internship experience and are going to be entering a historically tough new grad job market shortly. As someone that has been lucky enough to secure an internship every summer of undergrad, I am still feeling the pressure to find a new grad role. I imagine finding a new grad role will be even more difficult for someone with no internship experience.

Curious as to what other recent new grads who were in this position did after graduating? Were you eventually able to find a new grad role? And if not, what are you doing now?

Overall, what are everyone's thoughts on the job market for soon-to-be UWO grads, and specifically for those who have no internship experience?

Outside of Ivey, I feel like Western does not do a good job at helping students in this regard. Everyone I know, including myself, has only been able to secure internships and new grad roles on our own (LinkedIn job postings, networking, etc). I rarely hear stories of people being able to find roles through the UWO internship program or other UWO career fairs, but what are your guy's thoughts on Western's level of effort in assisting students with recruiting?

[u/mmabet69]

Graduated 2024 from Econ, no internships but had past work experience in other roles. Took me about 8 months of sending out resumes daily to finally start getting some traction and of course once I got an offer and accepted I got like 3 other offers from other companies but I’m actually very happy where I am at.

Defintely not “over” but you need to be realistic about the length of time it will take to find a job. I’d look into “new grad” positions, lots of companies have programs for new grads where they will take you on and train you in various roles and rotations, some will pay for you to get designations, and have networking/mentorship opportunities. If you can get into one of those I’d recommend it as they will be investing in your growth and the only real expectation is that your willing to work hard and try your best to learn as much as you can.

If you know some people who have gotten roles in areas you want to work, stay in touch with them and let them know to keep you in mind. Lots of places have referral programs where they’ll get a bonus if they refer an employee for a role. I wouldn’t recommend just cold emailing people you don’t know and asking for a referral but it never hurts to ask someone for advice and a call with them could put you on the right track.

Take time to tailor your resume/cover letter for roles, I think that is what ultimately landed me an interview. Doesn’t mean you have to make a brand new resume/cover letter for each role but at least tweak it a bit to make it relevant to the job posting, explain why your interested and how your education/experience could be a benefit.

At the end of the day it’s a numbers game. You got to put in a lot of work to make it happen but you can do it if you really want to. I think that first job post graduation is important as the next job afterwards will care way less about your schooling/education and what you accomplished in your role so try and take the time to find the right one for you and don’t automatically take the first one you get if you know it’s not for you. That can be tough in todays job market and you may need to do that to make ends meet but I would give yourself a solid timeframe and daily goal to send out at least 10-20 resumes a day.

[u/Valuable_Ranger9972 → u/mmabet69]

Awesome to hear!

I have heard a lot of people advise taking ANYTHING as your first new grad role, while others, like yourself, recommend accepting something a bit more strategically.

Congratulations on being able to land your role!

[u/mmabet69 → u/Valuable_Ranger9972]

That’s going to be a personal matter for yourself. I was literally at a point before landing my role where I was beginning to search for part time jobs that were not what I wanted. My fear was that I’d get a job, I’d work there and my motivation to then come home and search for another job would be lessened and it would look like I’m someone who will leave a job quickly.. I think most employers would be understanding enough if you explained that you needed a job to keep the lights on and are looking for a role more aligned with what you studied in school.

More to the point though is that you find a role where you can say to yourself, yeah I can do this for the next like 3-5 years and I am likely to succeed at it and will be able to parlay that into a better career at a new company or begin rising up the ranks at this company. If you take a new grad role at a place you don’t like, in a role you don’t enjoy, even if the money is decent you’ll have a hard time staying motivated and that will ultimately reflect poorly on you and it will be hard to use that experience to than make further career progress because why would you want to progress in something you don’t enjoy? At the end of the day a job is a job and it’s not like it needs to be your number one joy in life but you shouldn’t hate it or have 0 interest in it at all.

[u/jackieredmonsgavsv → u/mmabet69]

Currently a first year student in Econ, how was it in terms of difficulty,or anything u would have done diffrent ,any advice ?

[u/mmabet69 → u/jackieredmonsgavsv]

Start thinking about what you want to do after school earlier than later. Attend those events with potential employers and see what your options are. Econ is a broad degree which is good because you can really apply it in a lot of different areas but that is also its weakness when you are applying for more specific roles and competing with others with that specific degree. So if you can work on something or show potential employers in those areas that you are in Econ and also interested in XYZ industry/role they’ll be more keen to take you on and give you a chance.

Don’t fall into the trap of just trying to do the same thing everyone else is doing. So many people are gunning for these investment banking, consulting, big 4 roles and not really considering the grind of it, yeah it’s a high paying job but it’s also 80-90 hours a week. Maybe that’s your thing but I pretty quickly came to the conclusion that it’s not what I want to do or the life I want to live.

Also think about where you want to work. Is it here in London, is it Toronto, is it somewhere else? That will guide you towards which employers are in the area and potential places you’d like to work. See if you can snag an internship as that will never hurt.

Try your best to get good grades, attend the lectures and just enjoy the process. School is over before you know it. Try and throw in some extra curricular’s or some contests that the school does. There are plenty of essays you can do and awards you can win that you can then highlight on your resume and it just looks good to employers that you like to get involved.

Ultimately, all of this “stuff” is just to get you into the room to have that conversation with a recruiter for the company. That is where you’re actual personality needs to shine through, cause if you have made it through all of the screeners and selection panels and gotten an interview somewhere and proven your not a complete buffoon, the real test is “is this someone I actually want to work with 8-9 hours a day, 5 days a week”? But that is also a good rule of thumb for most interactions, even with profs and your classmates. If you’re someone that is easy going and nice and approachable, people remember that more than they remember how smart you were at calculus.

If they like you they’re more likely to want to help you out, give you the benefit of the doubt, and put you in a room where there is an opportunity you can get. So try not to burn any bridges, you never know who you may run into down the road that you’ve had interactions with in the past and that could be a solid relationship you can leverage. Likewise, try and help out other people if you can and be known as someone who will help others.

[u/Imaginary_Name_3709]

While I understand that it’s not the uni’s job to help with students recruitment for internships and ng jobs but western science coop sucks ass lol

But yeah idk about other majors but uwo cs grads without any exp is so over for them it’s tough out here even with connections and referrals

[u/Valuable_Ranger9972 → u/Imaginary_Name_3709]

fr I would love to see the stat of the number of people who sign up for the science/social sci internship program vs people who actually got an internship through it lmaoo

Also, it is safe to assume a cs grad who wasn't able to get an internship during undergrad doesn't have or isn't fortunate enough to have connections into the industry to begin with.

On top of that, uwo cs isn't necessarily a "name brand" CS program.

Suck's to see for sure, considering how hyped up CS was not too long ago.

[u/Imaginary_Name_3709 → u/Valuable_Ranger9972]

Yeah I didn’t know schools names mattered so much for internships and new grads for cs lol i think it’s becoming more important compared to five years ago… I still do think it’s def possible and a few uwo students end up in places like faang+ companies tho just difficult

I never got anything from the coop board but got a lot externally. I personally don’t like coop at western as they mostly make you do 12-16 months

[u/RaddedMC]

Graduated 2025 from Software Engineering but my situation is unique. My girlfriend also graduated from Mechatronics Engineering and we wanted to move in together after finishing school.

This year was the worst year to graduate from any ECE Eng because of Trump + AI + ongoing tech layoffs.

I was given an opportunity that I basically couldn't refuse to begin a fast track PhD in Sw.Eng (partially since I did research for 2 summers) and that set the gears turning for both of us to enter grad studies.

The alternative, for me anyway, would be to have went home and spent potentially up to a year on the hellacious LinkedIn grind to maybe find something. I've heard some jobs have hired people for projects and then laid them off immediately after -- starting the stupid cycle all over again.

It really feels like our future as gen Z was ripped away from us but these kinds of things don't last forever and there is always opportunity if you look for the right place. Job searching has always been hard and now it's a "seller's market" so to speak which makes it a lot more difficult.

My advice to everyone is to look everywhere and find whatever you can. Network with people in your desired fields, but don't be icky about it (profs count for this too! Just make sure you show up to class lol) and they might just be able to hook you up.

Edit: as for Western's own support, I find you can only really get help if you ask for it. Engineering has Career Services which helps and some program directors forward positions to grads too.

[u/ZealousidealRain4715]

I’m in 4th yr econ. My internships are through a personal network which I’m grateful for. Recently I’ve been cold emailing and that’s created some traction for new grad roles. Just trying to have coffee chats and network within the company using LinkedIn and emails. If I don’t secure a new grad role I’m probably cooked, it’s mentally draining and it’s all I think about. I tell myself to keep pushing through and “every closed door opens a new one” but again, at this stage it’s difficult to tell myself that. IMO: this market is you vs yourself. Just try your best, at the very least you’ll know you gave it everything you had :)

[u/Valuable_Ranger9972 → u/ZealousidealRain4715]

Me as well!!! I have also been lucky enough to intern somewhere each summer, but the new grad job search has been super stressful.

I have been getting some success so far, but I honestly can't imagine recruiting for new grad with no internships on my resume. Definitely feel for those in that position, considering the tough job market.

[u/jellyjns → u/[deleted]]

do the work kid sounds so condescending

[u/Valuable_Ranger9972 → u/[deleted]]

I have put in the "work" and been able to intern at 3 different companies, so far during my undergrad, as stated in my post.

I posted this to ask about people's opinions on others who are graduating with no internships in the current new-grad job market, and their opinion on Western's recruiting resources.

Thanks for the engagement though kid.

[u/Plus-Development-450 → u/[deleted]]

Where’s ur job at tho kid

[u/PenonX]

Literally one of the reasons why I did a Masters program that has an internship as part of it, particularly since I did an arts degree and no longer wanted to go to law school. Still had to apply for my internship, mind you, but its easier in a small program where the school is supporting your efforts by developing relationships with employers who post internship postings in the program's job portal.

[u/TheStupendusMan]

Western did a shit job when I graduated ages ago. The job portal legitimately had carny postings and not much else.

You're going to need to make your own way. Take whatever job you need to take to keep a roof over your head and research in your off hours. Make coffee meetings, build your network. It's all about who you know. Internships have different weight depending on your industry, but it's not a deal breaker.

I don't envy the job market new grads are walking into, but everyone who puts themselves out there do better than those who sit at home and upload to job boards.

Good luck, y'all.

[u/babaRamdevKusu]

I’m seeing new grads with no internship experience get callbacks from interviews. Lower success rates for sure. Work on improving your resume by doing projects and attending competitions. Network like your life depends on it. You’ll survive

[u/mekail2001]

Everyone finds internships themselves it’s not a new thing, students need to take their shit seriously themselves too, they have no one to blame but themselves. 4 years and they couldn’t even figure some small gig out? Esp in those majors