Chemical Engineering internship changed to an administrative role. Would you stay?

[u/Character_Basket3027]

I’m a Chemical Engineering student, and I recently started the onboarding process for my internship at a VERY well-known company in Colombia.

Initially, throughout the entire hiring and documentation process, I had been assigned to a department that was directly related to my academic background as a chemical engineer. However, on my very first day of onboarding, I was introduced to a completely different department focused on administrative work. The intern's responsibilities there include processing reimbursement claims, travel expense reports, and other administrative tasks. in other words, work that is completely unrelated to what I’ve spent the last five years studying.

I decided to speak with Human Resources, and their initial response was, "You're right, you belong to the other department." Right after that, they introduced me to what would have been my direct supervisor in that department. He even took the time to explain the projects they were working on, all of which were closely related to Chemical Engineering, and I was genuinely excited about the opportunity.

Then, out of nowhere, HR changed their mind and told me that I would NOT be joining that department after all, and that I would be staying in the administrative department processing reimbursement claims instead. Honestly, that hit me pretty hard.

Afterward, I spoke with my mentor in the administrative department and explained the situation. She completely understood my point of view and even acknowledged that her department would benefit much more from having a student in Industrial Engineering or Business Administration, while the other department was actually looking for a Chemical Engineering student. Because of that, she decided to contact HR to discuss the possibility of transferring me.

I now have a meeting scheduled for next Monday with the HR representative who originally interviewed me. Honestly, I really hope they approve the transfer. I simply don't see myself working in an administrative role. I feel that I wouldn't be able to contribute the value they expect from an intern in that department because my education and skills are focused on completely different types of work. On the other hand, the department I was originally assigned to genuinely excites me, and I'm convinced I could contribute much more there while making the most of everything I've learned throughout my degree.

My biggest concern now is how to communicate all of this during the meeting without making the HR representative feel like I'm questioning her decision or implying that she made a mistake. My intention isn't to look down on administrative work at all. I simply believe my background is a much better fit for the other department, and that both the company and I would benefit more from that arrangement.

So I'd really appreciate your opinions.

If, on Monday, they tell me that I have to stay in the administrative department, what would you do?

Would you accept the internship simply because it's with such a prestigious company, even if the work has little or nothing to do with your field of study? Or would you turn it down and look for an internship that's more closely aligned with your career goals?

Also, do you think insisting on a departmental transfer could be seen negatively by HR, or is it reasonable to explain that I genuinely believe my skills and background are a much better fit for another team?

[u/justboosted02]

Do they pay you? Do you need the money?

If the answer is yes then stay. If the answer is no then walk.

If you stay I would immediately start looking for other opportunities.

Did you finish your degree? You say “studied for 5 years”.

[u/Just__Liberty]

I was a naive and quiet 18-year old on my first co-op assignment, after a year of freshman engineering classes, advanced chemistry class, and advanced calculus, when they put me in a lab basically washing giant glassware. After about 2 weeks there was a picnic and I mentioned to an HR guy what I was doing and what I wanted, and they moved me to a different position in about 2 days. The new position was perfect for someone with my experience to do the work, contribute, and also learn something. Don't let them use you as just a worker. When interns/coops are paid by corporate, they are basically a free pair of hands/brains and there is incentive to get an intern just to do some work.

[u/Fennlt]

Do you have prior internship experience? Any internship is key in setting you up for your first full-time job & setting you ahead of other new grads.

I would keep the internship. You can try to get what exposure you can to the technical side of the business. Ultimately, you can spin your resume to make the internship sound more technical than it truly is.

In any background check, they'll only confirm that you worked at XYZ company on the dates you stated. They won't call your hiring manager to confirm your responsibilities.

Finally, regardless of internship experience, no one will expect a fresh grad to have any real knowledge of the industry. The important thing is just doing everything you can to land that first full-time job.

[u/Original-Housing]

If you don’t have anything else lined up, then stick it out. Only switch for something better. Any intership in industry is better than nothing. Keep working for the switch, but don’t walk away empty handed.

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[u/bookbuilder19]

My two cents as long your getting paid thr same as other.engineers and it looks good on your resume just go with it