When you are a student or graduate, getting that sort of experience is relatively easy - and embrace it when you get the chance. Particularly if you are destined to a primarily desk-based job, this experience is invaluable in your professional education.
As I progress through my career - and yes I do spend much of my time behind a desk, I have to fight harder and harder to maintain my right to get out and get my hands dirty on a real aeroplane / laboratory / workshop. If I don't, it's my firm belief (if not my bosses!) that my skills behind a desk degrade significantly and I cease to be as effective as I should be. Nonetheless, the foundation of that experience gained as a young (and less expensive) Engineer is still the foundation of what I do now.
Ultimately this business is about flying aeroplanes, building and mending them is one step removed, and designing and analysing them a couple more steps away. You must understand what's going on as close to the aeroplane as you can or you'll never be a good Engineer.
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