r/UCalgary

I recently started a long-term engineering internship at an embedded/firmware company, and I’m already seeing massive red flags. I’m hoping someone here might recognize the company and have some survival tips, or just general advice on how to handle this.

Right now I'm getting paid under $19/hr, but the expectations are insane. The company is relying on interns to handle critical customer deliverables (specifically hardware and firmware) and deadlines for real, genuinely critical products are put entirely on singular interns.

The biggest issue is the hours. We have to log everything manually in Excel timesheets. There is no paid overtime, only "flex time." But the workload is so heavy that actually taking flex time seems impossible. I looked at some of the timesheets for the interns who have been here a bit longer, and they are regularly logging 90+, sometimes 100+ hours biweekly. They are basically working 10 to 15+ hours of unpaid overtime just to keep up.

Management doesn't seem to care. The owner will get upset if a customer deliverable is even one day late, even though these are massive projects being dumped on underpaid students with barely any senior mentorship.

On day one, we were sent straight into work with basically zero mentorship. Basically went along the lines of "Hey! Great to meet you! Anyways, when'll you have this done?"

I thought this was going to be a mentorship experience, not a full time job while getting paid pennies on the dollar.

My questions:

1. For anyone who has worked at a place like this, how do I successfully push back and hold my 40-hour boundary without getting fired or completely ruining my performance review?

2. Has anyone successfully "negotiated" with the ECC regarding scenarios like this?

Any advice is appreciated. I know I just need to survive this to get the resume experience, but seeing other interns get completely exploited has me stressed out.

Just curious!
Edit- can we also elaborate why 😇!!

Hi everyone!

I'm taking spring/summer classes at uni and no one I know is taking any classes at this time. If anyones down to ever go for a walk or grab a coffee and chat please let me know. I get so bored. Genuinely it's so boring, the people i know are all on vacation or doing their own thing💔 My classes run from 8:30-12, but still it would be great to make some friends this semester! I tried making friends in my classes but everyone is so antisocial. We can also hit cafes and stuff too :)

What is the easiest, lightest option at the UofC first year? like im talking i could throw up on my final exam and still pass /j

so basically what the title says, I start first year nursing this fall and everyone i’ve talked to says classes like anatomy and physiology for example is a lot of reading and memorizing and it just makes sense to kinda get a head start on the reading but I can’t really find an outline or any notes on some of these classes. Any help would be appreciated.

and tips on how to good in nursing would be great :)

EDIT: I did take a gap year after high school so trust I’ve definitely gotten LOTS of rest from school, i’m lowkey just anxious and don’t wanna be behind yk?

So I have got into UofC for CS because surprisingly the average was only like an 80 to get in. I got in early admission and I have been thinking since then if this is the right place for me. Obviously with AI and junior roles being offshored, entry level jobs in Canada are scarce.
I’m willing to put the work in. Get 4.0 gpa and do clubs, projects and build my own apps.

I’m just wondering if doing this would even get me an internship? Because I’m still gonna be competing against kids at Waterloo, UofT and UBC for internships and despite by stats, I don’t want to be overlooked because of my university. Kids there don’t have to have a high gpa to land in internships yet I’m afraid having 3.7+ gpa would still not be enough.

Should I take the UofC offer? Would grinding here be worth it to get internships?

I'm in the BBA program and I've finished 4 semesters of classes in april. I'm not taking classes until september. I recently got an email back from a company about a 16 month full time co-op opportunity where they want me not enrolled in any classes.

Is this a good opportunity or is it a risk to be outside school for that long?
Advice would be MUCHH appreciated

Will my email directly say congratulations you’re accepted or will it say something along the lines of there’s an update to your student profile please sign in and check ?

Just wondering as I’m waiting for BScN to see if I’m accepted or not and checking my student portal frequently

Basically I have some important commitments coming up, and if I get an email to check my student portal I want to know if it’s a generic “check updates to your application status” I want to know if that should make me sad bc it means I was rejected, or if I can still hold off hope and check it when my commitments are done

At this point don’t let us have Wi-Fi at all. CONSTANTLY disconnecting into disappearing into connected with no internet.

I’ve been out of school for over a decade, and recently I took an English 30 continuing education course and finished with an 87%. I applied to Sociology and Anthropology, but I was rejected from Sociology and waitlisted for Anthropology.

My high school grades were pretty average, but I’ve grown exponentially since then, which is reflected in the grade I earned now. Since I’m aiming for an Arts undergrad, English was really the only requirement I needed, so that’s why I took the course.

I’m honestly confused about why I was rejected from Sociology, and I keep wondering what my chances are for Anthropology. I want this so badly. I’m 30 now, and I know I would thrive in university because I’m more determined and focused than I’ve ever been. I just really hope I get the chance to start this fall.

Hey i’m and incoming student who’ll be starting in the fall of 2026. I’ll be living in the trad (kan and randle) hall. I was wondering what’s exactly the catch while choosing a bathroom. Ideally i would’ve gone for a single gender washroom but i read that gender neutral bathrooms are know for their "community rapport”. What’s that supposed to mean?

Can I enter tfdl at like 5 am with my uni card? Can I even enter the building? I wanna study early but don’t wanna stay overnight

any advice from upper year electrical engineering students about 3rd year?

With the competitive averages being published so high this year, is the average truly the average of who’s been accepted this year? So if it’s 90, they’ve accepted above and below that to average out at 90?

I know a few other positions have gotten their decisions already, has anyone who did the interview for this role (not the hirevue) heard back?

Hey everyone,

I’m an upcoming international student at UCalgary and wanted to ask about student life there. How is the overall environment for international students?

Do local students usually mix well with international students, or do most people end up staying mostly within their own cultural/racial communities and friend groups?

I’m hoping to make friends from different backgrounds, so I’d love to hear honest experiences from current students or recent grads. Also, how welcoming is the campus socially overall?

Thanks!

Hey all,

I am entering my third year as a student at UofC! I am looking for more professional work where I can show off the skills I have gained during my degree. :)

I’m thinking about things like historical research for law firms, regulatory compliance/CRM for environmental/energy companies, or qualitative research in tech/consulting, but I'm open to anything that isn't the usual low-paying museum route.

If anyone knows the best way to get a foot in the door, or where to apply, or even some courses to take to better my resume? any tips or tricks are appreciated!