The UI/UX wall and how to break past it

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if you guys could share some thoughts about getting in contact with product/industrial design teams in larger high profile corporations. I am a junior in design school looking to have an intern experience at a company on the scale of Microsoft or Google. However, almost all of the design internships fall under UI/UX.

thoughts?

There are plenty of other companies out there that could give you better experience than MSFT and Google. Don’t sell the small consultancies short. What’s better, having an internship that has relevant transferable experience? Or not having one at all?

You make a good point, I am definitely pursuing those as well, but may be a little caught up in the name game.

Name of the company, like the name of the school you go to, means very little in the long term.

absolutely, thanks for the perspective

Very welcome

One common perception, at least in Europe, is that once you work for Google, you are going to have a very difficult time fitting into any other company. Google working structure essentially spoils the workers and gives them unconventional expectations. I’ve heard from a few people that companies do not look favorably on that set of work experiences. Not sure about interning.

Google working structure essentially spoils the workers and gives them unconventional expectations.

Wait. What? Are you saying that everybody shouldn’t expect their employer to provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner, free medical services, a free ride to a from work, free gym and hair styling, TechShop access, reimbursement for continuing education, free legal consultation, 20 per cent of your work week to develop stuff on your own, take your dog to work with you, free beer and wine on Fridays?!? How can this be?

The actual term used was “unemployable”.