Landing full time engineering jobs after graduation can be difficult in these uncertain times, but internships and co-ops can help make your case to potential employers.
These programs also offer educational opportunities that you don't find on campus. Most are "real hands-on" assignments, says Bob Musgrove, the co-op and college recruiting manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center (Houston, TX).
Other corporate recruiters agree. "We provide real opportunities for our interns - from project management to quality assurance testing to working directly with an R&D project team," says Judy Church, college program manager at Mentor Graphics Corp (Wilsonville, OR), a producer of EDA software and systems.
The path to internships often starts on campus. "Start looking in your school's career office," says Aiyana Brooks, a trainee analyst and former software engineering intern with financial services firm Citigroup (New York, NY). "Use whatever career services your school offers - counselors, job searching software, resume services, job fairs. Check out Internet sites. Friends, relatives and professors can also be a source of good leads."
Timing can be important, says Andres Losada, a former intern at Xerox (Stamford, CT) and now a full time employee there. "Start looking early because the slots fill up quickly. For a summer internship, start looking at the end of the fall semester."
Another way to find internships or co-ops is to attend career fairs sponsored by diversity organizations. Xerox, for example, looks for interns and co-ops at conferences sponsored by SHPE and NSBE. "We typically partner with SWE, SHPE and NSBE to find technical students," says Jeff Jacobs, college programs manager at Intuit (Mountain View, CA).
Internships and co-ops can function as extended job interviews and often lead to permanent jobs. At Johnson Space Center, the number "varies each year, but we usually hire more than 60 percent," says Musgrove. Intuit offers jobs to 50 to 60 percent of its interns.
Here are the profiles of several current and former interns and co-ops who found their experiences personally and professionally rewarding.
Ben Zoufan is a process engineer at DuPont
An internship at DuPont (Wilmington, DE) helped Ben Zoufan land a full time job. Zoufan, a process engineer in the company's control systems group, interned during the summer of 2003, after graduating from the University of Delaware (Newark, DE) with a BS in computer engineering. He became a full time process employee in September.
His internship project involved a Web-based application that lets users view and analyze data. "I helped people learn to use the product," he says. He also worked with the software vendor to debug the program's migration tools.
It involved a lot of programming, he adds. Zoufan also did some smaller projects for the group, including designing a website that allowed plant managers to run simulations of available programs.
Zoufan moved to the U.S. from Iran when he was sixteen. "My dad was a civil engineer. I wanted to be one also until I got a job during high school selling pagers and cell phones. I got interested in the electrical circuit boards and frequencies and making the phones work. So I moved on to computer and electrical engineering."
He hooked up with DuPont at a university career fair. "As an intern, I used the technical things I learned in school. But I also learned about the business side of the company," he says. "When I worked on the Web interface, I also learned about life cycle costs. I'd never thought of that before, but it's very important in business today."
Zoufan says, "Make as many business contacts as possible and take advantage of any help that's offered." He advises new hires to ask questions if they don't understand something. Companies are aware that new grads might not know everything. Just ask, he says.
Dr Jenny Gruber, NASA JSC: an internship in mission ops
Dr Jenny Gruber says she always wanted to be an astronaut. Now she may be on her way. She's a technician working in automated vehicles and orbit analysis at the NASA Johnson Space Center. She is one of a group of fifteen responsible for monitoring the trajectories of non-NASA spacecraft that visit the International Space Station, like the Russian Soyuz rocket that recently delivered a load of essential supplies.
"Once I start training on a console position, I'll be doing a lot of reading and learning the tools," she says. "Right now I'm working with strategic command on operations that involve meetings and coordination."
Gruber, who became a full time NASA employee in September 2002, interned five times with the space agency. During the first four stints she was an undergrad at Boston University (Boston, MA) where she received BS and MS degrees in aerospace engineering. The last internship was as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, where she received her PhD in engineering science in the spring of 2002.
"The internships were all in mission operations. I'm partial to that," she says. They involved "one cool project per semester" as well as a lot of "watching, observing and reading."
For one project she developed software to update shuttle trajectory data, something that previously was done manually. Other projects involved updating and modernizing NASA's IT architecture. "Some projects involved translating software into new program languages," she explains. "I also tested simulators to make sure they worked the way they were supposed to."
Gruber feels that students shouldn't let the need to graduate in four years interfere with their co-op ambitions. "I paid my own tuition, so I understand the financial implications. But it's worth it to fight through the challenges because the only way to get the job you really want is by having experience."
Gruber has applied to become an astronaut, but she's already traveled light years from her roots. "I grew up in a trailer park in Omaha," she says. "My dad's a bricklayer and my mom's a teacher. I'm not supposed to be here. Space flight inspired me. That's why I'm so passionate about it."
Intuit's Christine Chen: creative solutions at QuickBooks
Christine Chen is a Stanford University senior and computer science major. She did her most recent internship in the summer of 2003 at software maker Intuit, where she worked on the QuickBooks financial and accounting package.
"My internship was a little different. I worked with the creative solutions team. It was a small group and their function was different from typical product development," she says. "They came up with lists of features they felt were missing from the product. My summer project was to update and add the new software features. I had a lot of independence."
As part of the twelve-week project, Chen talked with marketing, business and engineering professionals to determine product requirements. "I sketched out what the software and user interface would look like," she explains.
With her manager's approval, she developed, tested and implemented the product. In addition to the usual coding, "I conducted my own usability studies and worked with the usability lab," she says. "I wrote the documentation, wrote the script to get customer feedback about my software and made the final presentation."
Chen says that students should be open-minded during their internships. "Many interns already have some experience. So your first internship might not be the most exciting." But stick with it, she says.
Chen advises interns to decide what they want from the internship and let the supervisor know right away. Then the company can incorporate that into what they want you to do. "They really want you to like their company. Internships are a recruiting tool for them."
Roger Lee, NASA Stennis Space Center: a fascination with space
Roger Lee is a student at Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA), studying for an aerospace engineering degree that he's scheduled to receive in the spring of 2005. Lee recently finished his fourth co-op at the Stennis Space Center (near Biloxi, MS). The Stennis Center is where every Space Shuttle main engine is tested and proven flight worthy. "Space was always a fascination of mine," Lee says.
Lee's first co-op, as a sophomore, "was more about getting familiar with the technologies," he says. The second was hands-on. He was assigned to a hydrogen peroxide test stand, part of a component test facility for future generation rocket engines. "I had tasks to do every day," he says.
During the third term, Lee worked with an assistant integration engineer. Says Lee, "Up to that point, I had just been doing mechanical test operations. This time I got some experience in processing data."
His assignment last spring involved working at another test stand. Although he says the work is grueling, he's willing to do it "because it frees someone who can do the more complex tasks that I wouldn't be able to handle."
Co-ops at NASA need to be "proactive" to get the most from their experiences, Lee says. In his first co-op, he says he "waited for things to happen. You'll learn so much more when you look for work and ask questions."
Lee wanted to co-op because he wasn't sure that aerospace engineering was for him. But now that he has explored the available opportunities, he realizes that this really is what he wants to do.
Samuel Halm got good training at Mentor Graphics
As an associate application engineer at Mentor Graphics (Wilsonville, OR), Samuel Halm is an integral part of the company's sales and support operation. "I work with marketing on some of their presentations," he says. "And I sometimes get involved in customer visits. I'm learning skills I'll need as an application engineer, helping to sell the tools."
Halm was an intern with Mentor before he became an employee. His internship extended over a year and a half in 2002 and 2003; one of his tasks was to create "application notes" that explain solutions to frequently encountered problems. It was good training for what he's currently doing. He visits customer sites, goes along with people doing demos and helps prepare the materials they use to sell the product. He also does phone support, helping to track issues customers have with the tools.
Halm moved to the U.S. in 1996 from Ghana in West Africa to attend Portland State University (Portland, OR), where he received his BSEE in 2001. He received his MSEE in 2003, also from PSU. Halm says he has always been interested in technical things. "I once got electrocuted unscrewing the wall socket. Later on, I pulled apart radios. If something wasn't working, I had to fix it."
He points to "the importance of teamwork" as something valuable he learned during his internship. "You also learn how to manage your workload, ask for help, learn on your own and work on a team."
Seagate's Amrita Chugh: a fascination with computers
Amrita Chugh is finishing up her masters in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Arizona (Tucson) where she also earned her BS in computer engineering. Chugh interned at disk drive maker Seagate Technology (Longmont, CO) during the summer of 2003.
She worked on a range of group and individual projects - programming a diagnostic tool, testing and optimizing disk drives with a team of engineers.
She lived in an apartment that Seagate arranged for her - something that many companies offer, depending on the distance between home or campus and the internship.
"At Seagate, I learned the fundamentals of disk drives and the storage industry," Chugh says. "I got to see all types of engineering. There's so much cutting-edge technology that goes into the disk drive system." She did three other internships, and together they "taught me about different industries and working on a team," she says.
Chugh grew up in Zambia and came to the U.S. in 1999 for college. "I was always curious about how computers worked," she says. "The different circuits used in the computer games and electric toys I played with fascinated me. I wanted to know how and why things happened. I also enjoy math, science and problem solving."
It's not always easy being a woman engineer. "During my undergrad years at U of A, few women went into electrical and computer engineering," Chugh says. "Our professors and academic advisors always encouraged us, though."
In industry, "women engineers work hard," she observes. "It's inspiring to see success stories like PepsiCo's president and CFO Indra Nooyi, and the upbeat, energetic attitude and confidence of women engineers here at Seagate."
Michelle Moorman: metallurgical engineering at Xcel Energy
As an engineering intern at electricity supplier Xcel Energy (Minneapolis, MN), Michelle Moorman works in the Denver area as a metallurgical engineer. She analyzes power plant components that fail. "My typical project might involve a cracked or broken boiler plate," Moorman explains. Her job is to figure out what happened. "Then we make a recommendation to the plant."
Moorman works with four or five people in the metals and materials resources group. But she mainly works alone on her projects. "I get opinions, advice and huge help from my supervisors," she says.
Moorman is a junior at the Colorado School of Mines (Golden, CO). She expects to get her degree in metallurgical and material engineering in May 2005. Her internship began in May of 2003 and she worked full time during the summer.
She works at Xcel twenty hours a week during the school year. "It makes me more focused at school because I can see how what I learn in class is relevant to what I'm doing at work," says Moorman. The experience has also helped her decide that she wants to work in the power industry after graduation.
"You never know what's going to happen each day. If there's a failure they can't cut out right away, we go out to the plant. You get to put on a hard hat, coveralls and steel-toed boots and crawl around power plants. The combination of office and field experience is good."
Being a woman in a traditionally male field hasn't been a problem at Xcel, Moorman says. "Everyone there has been great. The welding foreman, maintenance men and the operators aren't used to working with women engineers. But they've all helped me tremendously and I've learned a lot from them."
She might never have considered a career in energy before her internship. "I would have never expected to end up in this industry," she says.
Andres Losada: valuable experience at Xerox
Andres Losada, an integrated supply chain analyst for Xerox, interned at the company in 2003. After finishing his undergrad degree in IE from the University of Buffalo (NY) in 2001, he went to Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) for his masters degree in IE and operations research.
After a year of study, he connected with Xerox at a Minneapolis job fair sponsored by SHPE. "I was interviewed and got an offer on the spot," he says. "That happened around February and the internship was that summer."
The ten-week internship involved working on a logistics project for Xerox's developing markets organization. The group handles all aspects of distribution, sales and marketing for developing markets in Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe. "I looked at a particular distribution channel to find better ways to do things," he says. Losada used statistical and simulation analyses. He also got data from people in the channels and then built models that would "spit out the results."
The experience helped Losada grow professionally, he feels. It was valuable to "see what you learn in the classroom being applied in everyday business life," he says. "It also helps you feel more comfortable in the real world."
Losada grew up in Bogota, Columbia. His father was in the military and a diplomat, so Losada spent some of his childhood in the U.S. Being bilingual has helped him in his Xerox job, he says, as he often deals directly with people in Latin America.
He too advises students to keep an open mind and get as much exposure as possible. "The main thing about an internship is not the pay or where you're going to be working, but getting valuable experience that will help you in the future. This is the chance to explore other opportunities."
Norman Ahmad of JPL: testing Mars Rover models
Norman Ahmad is an ME student at Tennessee State University (Nashville, TN) who expects to graduate in December 2004. He has already done two internships at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, CA). As someone who has always been interested in astronomy and space exploration, he describes the internships as "great experiences."
In the summer of 2002 he worked at JPL with the oceanography robotics concept group. "I was doing diagnostics and maintenance for the ice bore-hole probe - a probe that JPL planned to send to either Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, or to Lake Vostok here on Earth." Lake Vostok, in Antarctica, has an environment similar to Europa's frozen ocean.
Some early testing uncovered problems with the bore-hole rover. Ahmad was assigned to find out why the motor was jamming and recommend improvements. "They gave me a set of parameters on how a proper motor functions and then how this motor was functioning," says Ahmad. With help from his mentor and supervisor, he found a way to fix the motor.
For his second internship in the summer of 2003, he worked with a test version of the Mars Exploration Rover. "It's similar to the ones that went to Mars - Spirit and Opportunity," Ahmad explains. "We tested the model to see how it would respond to commands so that when it got to Mars it would perform."
Ahmad says his internships taught him what it takes to be a successful engineer. "All my life I've been interested in science and math and I stuck with it. It's a great experience seeing something I worked on actually performing on Mars," he says.
Aiyana Brooks is a Citicorp trainee analyst
As a software engineering intern with financial giant Citicorp (New York, NY), Aiyana Brooks tested software applications, wrote documentation and did some minor development. Brooks is now a trainee analyst at Citicorp, involved with the full software-development process: database design; code specification and development, application testing and documentation.
Brooks grew up in Bronx, NY, and always loved math, puzzles and problem solving. She attended a dual degree program in science and technology at New York University (New York City) and the Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, NJ), earning bachelors degrees in both computer engineering and computer science in 2003.
As an intern, she worked with managers, other interns and other developers. Today she works closely with database and systems administrators. "I interned for one year before hiring on as a full time employee. During the internship, I worked part time during the school year and full time during the summer," she says. "Prior to that, I was an intern at software companies."
During her internship, Brooks says, she learned best-practice techniques for software development. Working with other developers and contributing something meaningful to the project gave her confidence.
She advises interns not to wait to be assigned tasks. "If you think you can improve a process, approach your manager about possibly implementing it. And if you feel you're not being challenged, tell your manager that you can handle more responsibility."
Michele Paustian is an EE at Whirlpool
Michele Paustian interned with Whirlpool (Benton Harbor, MI) from June 1999 until December 2003. At the time, she was an EE student at Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI). She received her EE degree in 2003. Today she's an engineer with the company, working on sensing technologies for a new dryer platform project.
She first became interested in electrical engineering when she went to a "Take your daughter to work day" with her dad while still in junior high school. Paustian's father is an electrical engineer.
"I was always very interested in what he did. I started college in the engineering program and after taking a few classes in circuits and digital logic, I decided that I wanted to major in EE," says Paustian.
As a Whirlpool intern, she worked on the company's Calypso washing machine. "My first summer at Whirlpool I tested the pump and water recirculation system," she says. "By my second summer I had already decided to major in EE, so I moved to the controls team."
Her responsibilities included verifying software for the wash cycles and testing the user interface. She spent her third summer in Whirlpool's cost and quality group, where she focused on cost reduction projects for the Calypso.
"My fourth summer, I shifted to dryers. Ever since then I've been developing sensing technologies," she says. "What I'm doing now is an expansion of what I did in my last internship, but I have more responsibilities and challenges."
From her internships, Paustian says, she learned the importance of professional communication, time management and project leadership skills. "And I learned what it takes to be a good engineer," she adds. "You have to be a good problem solver, communicate effectively with others and be part of the team."
Ryan Pratt: streamlining projects at Applied Signal Technology
"As an intern at Applied Signal Technology, I worked on engineering projects like those a professional engineer would do," says Ryan Pratt, a senior at the University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT). Pratt expects to graduate in May 2004 with bachelors degrees in CS and mathematics. He worked at the Salt Lake City location of Applied Signal (Sunnyvale, CA), which makes signal processing equipment for defense and industrial customers.
"At Applied Signal Technology, I was more than a tester or a lab technician. I contributed to a team project where we wrote firmware to analyze and groom telecommunications signals. I was also responsible for a small software project that automated the process of collecting large amounts of network data and saving it to files. Before, the process was quite time consuming."
Pratt works with electrical, computer and software engineers at the company and finds them easy to get along with. "As an engineering student, I had trouble relating to the stereotypical idea of the engineer who lacks "people skills,'" he says. "Obviously not all engineers fit the stereotype. We talk about things other than work - we lunch together and play basketball together. This is extremely important to me."
The most useful part of Pratt's internship, which ran full time from May to August 2003 and has been part time since then, is gaining the "practical, concrete experience with concepts," he says.
Alison Campanella tests software at Invensys
Co-op Alison Campanella works in the research and development department at Invensys (Foxboro, MA), a maker of control, production and automation systems. Campanella says she spends most of the day in the lab, testing software.
"I receive a testing report from my supervisor and then go to the lab to run the tests," she explains. "I report any errors. When I do find an error, I try to figure out what went wrong as best I can."
A CS major in her second year at Northeastern University (Boston, MA), Campanella's fascination with computers began "in my senior year when my high school offered a programming class," she recalls. "That's when I knew for sure what I wanted to do."
Her six-month co-op experience helped clarify her career path, she says. "It's important that I experience what my job will be like when I'm out of college and working. Through the co-op, I'm working with people who do what I hope to be doing some day." The five-year Northeastern program alternates semesters of school with semesters of work.
"The experience gives the employee and the company an opportunity to learn," she adds. "The company teaches the employee something and the employee brings new ideas to the company."
Allan Daisley: software engineer at IBM
As a software engineer at the Research Triangle Park, NC site of IBM (Armonk, NY), Allan Daisley works in a group that helps define the features designed into IBM systems management software. He hired on about a year ago, right after completing an internship there in the summer of 2002. At the time, he was studying for his MBA at Duke University (Durham, NC). He completed his undergrad degree in computer engineering at Georgia Tech in 1994.
Daisley was part of IBM's Extreme Blue internship program, which brings together groups of three students to work on projects that mimic real world situations. "One business student and three technical students work together to either make a product or do a proof of concept," he explains.
Daisley's team was to add a feature to automate the introduction and configuration of IBM servers in any IT environment. "The customer could add a computer to their company network and it would be configured as they wanted it. They'd just plug it in," he says. The feature is now a part of IBM Director, a systems-management product.
The team was assigned two mentors, one business and one technical. In addition, "Staff is always there to help you," Daisley says.
Daisley, originally from St. Vincent in the Caribbean, says he saw only one computer before moving to the U.S. at age sixteen. "I was always fascinated with computers," he says. "To me, the coolest thing was to someday program a computer to make it do exactly what I wanted it to do."
He sees internships as "test drives, both for the intern and the company. It's the perfect way to get on the inside track to a job offer at a company you'd like to work for."
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