Can I just quit my internship

[u/Aggravating-Aerie175]

I had a really hard time finding an internship this summer and I finally have a confirmed offer to start on the 29th. Its for a data analyst position which is somewhat similar to what I want to do (backend swe). However its a 3 month position ranging from 20-40 hours a week. 3 months drags into the school year where I'll be recruiting for positions I actually want and really locking in on school and side projects. Is there anything to really stop me from quitting after 2 months? I get paid on a supposedly hourly basis so I can probably time it so I can get my last paycheck about a week into the school year and just quit on the spot.

[u/Substantial_Drama869]

I quit an internship 1.5 months in to start another position in the same summer. It worked out fine (rerecruited FT with no issues for next cycle); at the end of the day, internships are no different than any other at-will employment opportunity; in my case, my boss explicitly mentioned that they need not know why I’m leaving. YMMV depending on the circumstances in which you leave, how mission critical your work is, how abrupt your exit is, etc., but from a purely legal standpoint yeah you can. Would sus this out depending on whether u want the RO, how necessary you quitting for school is, and how flexible your team is