How to Get the Most Out of Your Internships

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Throughout my three years here at Purdue, I have made it one of my goals to acquire as much work experience as possible, simply because I had absolutely no idea where my career interests lied. With the wonderful opportunities Purdue provides, acquiring job experience is not a difficult task if you know where to look (https://www.cco.purdue.edu/).  After my freshman year, I worked at Freudenberg Performance Materials as a Mechanical Engineering Intern focusing on production support.  I realized that I really enjoyed the manufacturing environment, and such experience inspired me to try and find another internship.The subsequent two years, I worked for Honda Manufacturing of Indiana in Greensburg, IN to work in the Assembly Frame Department.  As a Senior in High School, I would've never thought I would be working in the automotive industry, so here is my best advice for navigating your career when you enjoy everything!
Me on the roof on my last day!

1. Take Every Opportunity

One thing I've learned is that while you can, take every opportunity that comes your way.  For my second internship, I got the opportunity to switch groups within my department, something that I didn't know I might enjoy. Gaining diverse experiences is extremely beneficial in career development, and allows you to learn about yourself, the company and different job processes.  Getting to work in two different groups under the same department allowed me to better understand the department's function and processes as a whole, which is useful in collaboration with others.

2. Don't Be Afraid to Ask

As with any job, the beginning of an internship has the potential of being a bit intimidating simply due to your exposure to a high amount of information, acronyms and vocabulary in a short amount of time. As mentioned previously, I knew very little about cars before working at Honda, so it was a learning curve to understand what everyone was talking about.  However, I learned that people are generally very understanding and are more than willing to answer your questions and help -- I wouldn't have finished my project this summer if I didn't ask my team questions constantly.  Don't be afraid to put yourself out there to get the understanding you need!

3. People are the Most Valuable Resources

Something that has stood out to me the most throughout my three summers of work is the amount of assistance people can provide compared to technology.  Because people bridge the gaps between the straight data-driven information given by technology, collaborating with others can be greatly more beneficial then solely relying on technology.  I could stare at a computer database or mechanical drawings all day, but I couldn't really figure out exactly what I needed as fast as just turning to the person next to me and asking. I've been able to translate this to school as well, by attempting to ask people involved more questions then doing hours of research.t

4. Organization Goes a Long Way

Something that has been a helpful habit to me is to always stay organized at work.  Whether this means taking a few extra minutes every day to plan out your ideal work schedule or having a detailed organization system, it really makes any task so much easier when you are organized.  In the wake of digitization, it's not hard to make automated schedules or plans, and I've found them to be something that has made vast improvements in my work performance.

5. Have Fun and Enjoy Yourself

At the end of the day, it's important to enjoy your career and what you are doing on a day-to-day basis. When you truly enjoy what you are doing, it's a lot easier to complete your work in a more efficient fashion and produce higher quality work.

Whether you have a desired career path or not, any work experience can be immensely helpful in figuring out what you like and don't like. I wouldn't be the person I am today without all of my internships. I also feel more confident in my decision to study Mechanical Engineering. Whatever your path is, I wish you best of luck and that you have as great as work experiences as I have!

Have any advice from your internships or want to learn more? Drop us a comment on this blog or tag @PurdueWIEP on social media!

- Allison Meyer
ME '19
WE Link Leadership Team



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Twitter: @purduewiep
Email: welink@purdue.edu


Purdue Women in Engineering

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