Full-time...to internship???

[amaquiling]

Sooo less than two weeks after passing my CISSP I just signed an offer letter for... Tesla! I completely forgot I even applied, then the entire process took exactly two weeks after the recruiter initially reached out and this has really taken me by surprise. I'm still processing the whole ordeal.

The catch is that I'm going to be a Security Engineer Intern (an experience I never had before), moving away from a comfortable full-time role. The internship does pay a bit more, but I'm also sacrificing my employee benefits and living with my parents for free.

I live across the country and there are a lot of logistics I need to sort out. I will be working from home, but once restrictions are lifted, I have to scramble and move over there within 30 days. Since I'm only guaranteed to stay til May (though may be extended) I've been frantically applying for summer intern roles, as well as full-time roles, both by my current location and in the Bay Area. It starts in January and I'll be a nervous wreck for the next two months because I absolutely hate the process of resigning (been through it four times yet I'm still unprepared every time).

It got me wondering... did I make the right decision? I suppose I am at the age where it's fine to take risks but this may be a bit too much uncertainty, even for me. I'm ecstatic about this opportunity but also pretty anxious :')

Any advice or reassurance that'll help me get through these next few months?

[Merlin]

Sooo less than two weeks after passing my CISSP I just signed an offer letter for... Tesla! I completely forgot I even applied, then the entire process took exactly two weeks after the recruiter initially reached out and this has really taken me by surprise. I'm still processing the whole ordeal.

The catch is that I'm going to be a Security Engineer Intern (an experience I never had before), moving away from a comfortable full-time role. The internship does pay a bit more, but I'm also sacrificing my employee benefits and living with my parents for free.

I live across the country and there are a lot of logistics I need to sort out. I will be working from home, but once restrictions are lifted, I have to scramble and move over there within 30 days. Since I'm only guaranteed to stay til May (though may be extended) I've been frantically applying for summer intern roles, as well as full-time roles, both by my current location and in the Bay Area. It starts in January and I'll be a nervous wreck for the next two months because I absolutely hate the process of resigning (been through it four times yet I'm still unprepared every time).

It got me wondering... did I make the right decision? I suppose I am at the age where it's fine to take risks but this may be a bit too much uncertainty, even for me. I'm ecstatic about this opportunity but also pretty anxious :')

Any advice or reassurance that'll help me get through these next few months?

Congrats!

Working for Tesla is going to reap larger benefits than just the experience. Having a large company on your resume will help you when applying for even better roles in the future. Assuming you don't get the invite to come back to transition to full-time, which happens in a lot of internship cases. You just need to do a great job and impress the right people while you are there.

That said, you need to weigh the personal ROI for resigning for a job you already have, moving across the country, and dealing with the higher cost of living in the Bay Area. (I am assuming it is a higher cost of living since it generally is higher compared to just about anywhere other than NYC.) You may determine that you'll actually be losing money by moving. Particularly considering you won't have access to free room and board.

Your largest expense will likely be rent, and housing prices in the valley are pretty high. You can find some less expensive places to live, but you'll probably be looking at a longer commute and may end up living in a less desirable neighborhood. Make sure you do the research and weigh the pros and cons. Reach out to your contact at Tesla to see if they offer support for finding affordable housing and such. Some companies will have long-term corporate apartments (like extended stays) for temporarily housing new employees, may offer a rental subsidy for interns, or will at least help you to arrange shared housing (roommates) with other interns at Tesla.

Then again, this may not even become an issue since it is very likely that the SF Bay area will still be in lockdown in May. Even if Pfizer's vaccine gets emergency-use authorization in December or January as expected, it will likely be until mid-summer before the average person will have access to it. There is a long line of people who will have priority access, like medical workers, emergency services, teachers, military personnel, etc. Considering the acceleration of virus spread, it is unlikely that there will be any relaxing of restrictions in the bay area until a vaccine is commonly available. So you may just end up working remotely the entire time.

[amaquiling]

Thanks @Merlin! I will be assigned with a consultant to help me and am given a relocation package (much smaller than I'd hope for but can't be too picky I suppose...). Fortunately there are shuttle services so I'll take advantage of those. My boyfriend would be moving with me as well if it does get to that point... just thinking about worst case scenario if I don't get any jobs by the end of that internship.

I also live relatively close to the NYC Metro area, but Bay Area costs are definitely a step above the costs for apartments around here.

Still, just one year ago I never anticipated going into security, let alone getting a security internship at Tesla of all places... life seems to like throwing curveballs at me ahaha. Thanks for the perspective!

[bjcheung77]

Be afraid! Be very afraid, anxious, nervous of the changes that will be happening... for 5 minutes though... and start breathing in, and out... Ah, yes, and relax!   A change is great, especially since you're getting experience from such a nice company - Tesla! Awesome eh!  

Congrats on getting the internship! You've a great head on your shoulders and it seems you're already getting your checklist of items to be done ahead of time.  Embrace what's coming with open arms and take the time to reflect on what may change, you got this! You go girl!

[amaquiling]

@bjcheung77 that is true-- I have already thrown myself into the unknown many times in the past. My future team seems great too! I know this will take my current team by surprise and I'll definitely miss the camaraderie but I do need to focus on my career development and this will open doors for me later on.

Thanks a bunch for the encouragement!!

[natshar]

If I had to guess (not that my knowledge counts for much) but I feel like the Bay area would still be in lock down until May. So you might not even have to move and just stay where you are.


Also, do you have family out in the bay area or friends you could stay with? Especially if this is not a permanent move or you are not sure if it will be permanent or not.


Congrats on the offer!!!

[amaquiling]

@natshar I don't have family out there... however I would love to move over there regardless since I have wanted to move out of here for the longest. It's just that I didn't expect that I'd get a role on the west coast *this* soon since I was applying for jobs verrry casually, and only for tech companies I thought I didn't have much of a chance for. I adore my team and was only willing to move if I found an opportunity I couldn't afford to miss out on, and here it is now!

My boyfriend will be working from home til at least next summer, so he would be helping with rent as well! So I suppose it really isn't as bad as I was initially thinking

[dfrecore]

Be prepared to spend thousands of dollars a month for rent (at least $2000 for a studio, up to $4000 for a 2br). Hopefully the amount you'd get paid for working will make up for it, but if not, be prepared to have a lower standard of living than you may be used to.

That being said, I did LOVE living in the Bay Area when I was young and single. I cannot imagine trying to raise a family there though.

[Merlin]

Be prepared to spend thousands of dollars a month for rent (at least $2000 for a studio, up to $4000 for a 2br).  Hopefully the amount you'd get paid for working will make up for it, but if not, be prepared to have a lower standard of living than you may be used to.

That being said, I did LOVE living in the Bay Area when I was young and single.  I cannot imagine trying to raise a family there though.

Tesla is in the south bay, so living in San Jose will probably the most economical place to live in that area. There are still plenty of lower-cost rentals compared to the SF area or north bay. A good chunk of the people I know who work in the south bay (and a few who work in SF) commute from San Jose specifically because of the lower cost of living.

My family and I live just outside San Francisco proper and we love it here. We have a 5-year old daughter as well. Prior to the pandemic, this was an awesome place to raise children. Yes, it is crazy expensive to live in the bay area, particularly on the peninsula, but this also provides a lot more opportunities and things to do and see. Plus, local salaries more than compensate for the increased cost of living for most people.

That said, we are planning to relocate to the Denver area early next year. But it not because we don't love the bay area. The move has everything to do with my wife's new job, which is an amazing opportunity that she eventually needs to relocate for. Plus, we are getting a bit tired of the cost of living here. We'll be able to buy or build a house in Colorado for like 2/3 of the price of the same place here, or we can find a much nicer place for about the same amount. We'll just have to adjust to having seasons again. I thought we put the snow and cold weather behind us when we left Virginia a decade ago. My daughter is super excited though since she's never seen snow before and wants to learn how to ski.

[AwardTour]

Be afraid! Be very afraid, anxious, nervous of the changes that will be happening... for 5 minutes though... and start breathing in, and out... Ah, yes, and relax!   A change is great, especially since you're getting experience from such a nice company - Tesla! Awesome eh!  

Congrats on getting the internship! You've a great head on your shoulders and it seems you're already getting your checklist of items to be done ahead of time.  Embrace what's coming with open arms and take the time to reflect on what may change, you got this! You go girl!

Bro, I gotta say, even though you have never given anyone a single "like" according to your site stats, you are a great source of positivity and encouragement on this site. (I am just giving you a hard time on the "likes" lol, your content/messages are more meaningful than the amount of times you have passed out likes)