Look at it this way: what are you learning at this job? Chances are, having a six year history of being an intern there (which is, btw, an extremely long time t

Look at it this way: what are you learning at this job? Chances are, having a six year history of being an intern there (which is, btw, an extremely long time to be an intern in my opinion), just getting a different title will not make people treat you any different than they have up to now. Did they offer you a single raise in six years? If not, they don't see any value in you that is specific to you, rather, you are easily replaceable. We've had interns at companies I worked for before, and they all either moved on after six months to a year, or got hired full time. Not a single one has stayed an intern for six years. I'd strongly suggest looking for new positions for multiple reasons. 1. You will have a clean slate and can grow as fast as you want, without the history of being the eternal intern. 2. You will get experience interviewing and talking to different kinds of companies and teams. 3. You will almost certainly get paid considerably more than you are now. 4. You will almost certainly find a position doing work that is more interesting/rewarding than dumb copy and paste grunt work. That being said, if you like the company, like the team, and/or like the work, definitely talk to them first. Ask for a competitive salary (do some research of what the position you are being hired for normally pays). Ask what kind of benefits they offer. If they really want you to stay on, they should have no problem offering you a decent rate. I wouldn't worry about staying unemployed. Engineers tend to take their skills for granted and not realize how valuable they actually are. You can always find freelance work if you work on it, and despite the economy, the hiring in IT sector is not slowing down as far as I can see. If you are bright and good at what you do, many companies will even pay for relocation if you are not local. You are young and just finishing college, this is the best time to take these kinds of risks. You'll have a much harder time deciding to join a startup or quitting an unsatisfying job if you have a family to support. Companies that truly value you, will want you to be engaged and fascinated by the work you're doing - that is how you get the best work from the engineers and they know it. Companies that don't understand that, end up with teams of unhappy engineers. In some companies, you can transfer to a different team, work on new projects, and find new interests - other companies have a set hole for you to fill, and if you are not happy being a cog, you are stuck. In the end, ask yourself whether you feel like you are growing and learning anything from the work you are doing and the team you are working with. If you are stagnating, it's time to either change your position in the company if they are simply not utilizing your potential, or look for a different company if they have no work for you that challenges you.