In early 2022, I was deciding between PhD offers. The deal maker was a prospective supervisor telling me that through their connections with big tech, I would be able to do a PhD internship each summer, which was one of my main goals for the PhD. During my first and second years, they would tell me that companies prefer late-stage PhD students, so I should wait for the next summer. It eventually turned out they did not actually have the connections. Four years later, I am due to graduate without ever having done a PhD internship. I managed to land some interviews by cold-applying everywhere, but most roles were for roles outside my niche research area, which understandably led to rejections. I went back through my emails and found every interview I did. Here is the summary: 09/22: Start PhD 09/23: PhD Research Intern @ Big Tech#1. Rejected after two interviews. I do not think I had a strong enough background in the field. 01/24: PhD Research Intern @ Startup#1. Rejected after one interview.…