What is a good internship for Mechanical Engineering?
#mechanical-engineering
4 answers
Francesco’s Answer
I have had several interns working in my team over the years. I have been always impressed about what an intern can accomplish in 3 / 6 months.
I was a member of the Board assessing the final work of interns and it was a pleasure to listen their presentations and feel their engagement and passion they put in their projects.
Lot of value for the company and an extraordinary opportunity for an intern to learn and be coached by experienced engineers.
There are plenty of intern programs in different fields, just find the one which can meet your interests, but be open to any opportunity since what you can get out of an internship is always important at that age.
Regards.
Christopher’s Answer
As a student, you may be tempted to try and hit a home run with top-caliber companies. While you should certainly try this (check with your school's placement office for opportunities you can apply and interview for), I would also advise you to also look into local companies that are hiring as well. The main goal of an internship is to develop experience and hopefully make enough money to be worth it, so staying local may help keep costs low. The main thing is to get experience!
Also, you should view an internship as a chance to go "above and beyond" in the duties and assignments you may receive. This may result in a lot of secondary benefits through experiences and also give you good references that will prove valuable when you are looking for a job after graduation. It might even help you get hired back.
Su’s Answer
Mechanical Engineers can be found in many fields and work on tiny mechanical devices that are implanted in humans or massively big objects that build cities. You have the whole world open to you!
A short list of fields for Mechanical Engineers:
Biomedical and Medical Devices
Micro electro-mechanical systems, Nanotechnology
Fluid Mechanics
Accoustical engineering
Heat Transfer, Thermodynamics and Energy Systems
Combustion and the Environment
Manufacturing
System Dynamics and Control
Transportation Systems
and there are so many more! Hope this short list inspires some ideas for you.
Best of luck to you!
Glenn’s Answer
Great question and I have had several interns work for me over the years. I think that first, internships give you the opportunity to work with engineers in an area that you are interested in. So if you are interested in design, a good internship would be in design, but working in the factory would also give you incite as to what you are designing for.
Second, a good internship is one that challenges you, let you used your engineering education, and do something that is meaningful. If you get the interview, ask about what previous interns did while they were there. This is the best indicator or what you will be doing.
It is already January, if you have not already done so, start applying. A lot of companies pick interns in January.