New switch engineer

Well, here's my story so far.

I'm a senior about to graduate from Cornell with a BS in Materials Science and Engineering - pretty versatile engineering degree. That is, if you go all the way to PhD - I did research for 2 ½ years here, and had some good times, but it wasn't for me. By last December, I was done with engineering. Looking to branch out, I began talking to family/friends/contacts, took a finance course, and began to love the ideas and practices used in the financial world. It was so much more immediately applicable, more real, than 2 years spent trying to figure out one small part of science for research. I'm now reaching out to more of those family and friends, trying to get some experience in the industry to cement my decision and bolster a resume sorely lacking in directly applicable experience. I've accepted a 1-year MS degree at Stanford next year, but am still scrambling for something this summer. Any advice for someone entering the game late would be appreciated.

Loving the site, and hope to use it often as I progress in my career.