Please help! Advice needed!!!!

[Custard Chick]

Alright, so I'm being offered a 4-month internship that in my field (graphic design). Pay is stipend at about $1500/month (no hourly wage, just a flat rate). There is no guarunteed position at the end of the four months though and when interviewing, I realized this is NOT the kind of job I want (the boss is also SUPER scary). Also, hours are erratic when closing in on a deadline (they mentioned staying until 10 o'clock some nights), which would cut greatly into my part-time job at Panera's, which I do want to keep.

But it's experience in the city, which is what I need to get a full-time job in my field once this is internship is done. And it is only four months. But I can see myself pulling my hair out by the end of month two.

*sigh* So I have no idea if I should take it or not. Any suggestions?

[Chanlin]

I'll leave this judgment up to you on what your boss at Panera is like but I look at this way:

The internship as you pointed out is experience in your field and there is nothing that says if they offer you a job that you have to accept it.

Explain to your boss at Panera about the internship and then see if they would be willing to take you back at Panera afterward and or if you think you can do it see if your boss can work you around your internship hours.

The last thing to consider is how competitive this internship is. I know there are some internships where people literally have to bend over backward just to get the internship so if tis a highly competitive and you've been offered the internship then turning it down would just be silly all around.

Last bit of advice is if you don't try it you might regret it or play the what if game, I know I would. You never know you might turn out to like it, especially if its your chosen field.

EDIT:: I've never done the internship circuit so I don't know what Internships expect of you or how it looks if you turn down a position if you are offered it after the internship. The reasonable and logical assumption to me would be that as long as your reasons were mature ones then you should be ok. IE I wasn't able to work the hours they wanted me to work or the like.

[scruff]

I'd take it. It's experience in your chosen field.
Even if you have to discuss cutting your hours temporarily with your current job and explain to a few friends you might not be out quite as often for a few weeks, depending on deadlines.
I don't know what the job market is where you are, but here, relevant experience is really useful, and can be more useful than qualifications.

Even if the _actual_ useful information you pick up is minimal, being able to have it on your CV and drop a few relevant terms in your next job interview is really handy. Perhaps even add to your portfolio. And it means you're a bit more familiar with what goes on in a company working in that field.

[Cutenoob]

HELL YES.

Pros:
Working in field
Experience
Ability to show skills
Ability to learn new skills
Ability to meet people in the field.
Paid

Cons:
losing stable income
no guarantee of job at end
lower pay than some jobs

Your pros are more than cons.

I had an internship, Paid, at an ISP for my start in IT land. I got to do a lot of cool things and apply the books to real life. That was fun. I got to practice talking to management who semi-understood IT speak. (thats interesting.)

I was offered a contract job...and took that...to stay at the ISP...then was offered a real full time ISP job.

TAKE IT. SAVE YOUR MONEY NOW TO COVER YOUR BUTT AND TAKE THE INTERNSHIP. Halfway thru the internship, spiff your CV/ resume up and start pushing for jobs.

Do NOT turn this down.

Cutenoob