For the company as a whole:
You have to be very out-going and self-promoting to advance or get onto projects you desire. Introverts and humble people have no chance of advancing here.
For internships:
Interns are given NO direction at NI and projects afford few opportunities to make yourself visible or showcase your skills. You have to figure out what your boss wants as you work on the project, which often means redoing days worth of work when your boss changes his/her mind about what kinds of formatting and content he/she wants in your reports. You do have to meet strict deadlines despite not coming to the office every day, so last-minute changes can be stressful and I often found myself in the office for 10 or more hours on the days that I worked. Although the internship is advertised as a 20 hour per week position, I averaged 30 or more hours per week due to these last-minute changes. Interns are often given equipment that does not work, a common experience with both internships I had at NI. I had a computer that broke nearly every day, and despite repeated requests and multiple in-person visits to IT services, was denied any help to fix the machine or the ability to get a new computer due to lack of "approval." I asked my boss for help in expediting "approval," but it was pushed by the wayside for months. She finally obtained a functional computer for me 2 weeks before the end of my term. The only way I got any work done during both internships was by supplying my own laptop. If I had not done this, I would have been completely unable to work.
Pay for NI interns ($10/hr, no benefits) is terrible, especially considering the size of the company. Small companies hiring interns often pay similarly, but international companies like NI generally pay much more. I interned for another similarly-sized company and was paid $2900/month + fully-furnished luxury apartment with utilities. Many of my friends who interned for equally large companies enjoyed this same high level of compensation. Pay is not negotiable for NI interns. I only accepted the job because I heard NI was a great place to work full-time and interns were often hired after graduation. I was lucky that I was doing well enough financially that I could afford to intern at NI despite very low comparative pay.
NI tells interns that if they return for additional internships they will get to choose the department in which they will work for the next term. This is untrue. I was one of approximately 3 returning interns within the marketing division and all of my 5 requested areas for continuing my internship were given to newly-hired interns. My performance reviews were very good, so I doubt my requests were denied due to poor performance.
Interns pursuing bachelor's degrees are hired alongside interns pursuing graduate degrees, and after the internships are complete, the undergraduates compete with the graduates for similar jobs and similar pay. If you are an undergraduate, this means you can forget the prospect of a full-time job at the end of your internship even if your work is good and you are qualified for the position.
Although NI is a terrible place to intern, I think the company is very kind to its full-timers, who enjoy great benefits, generous work/life balance, ample opportunity for advancement, (mostly) capable colleagues, and interesting, dynamic work. I would consider taking a full-time job with NI despite the terrible internship experience.
