SWE - Fall 2008 - (Page 86)

CAREER TOOLBOX Stand out through Service Volunteer and co-op experiences provide technical and leadership opportunities. BY BIANCA MCCARTT, SWE EDITORIAL BOARD M ost engineering students start school with limited hands-on exposure to their chosen profession, and only a vague idea of what they will actually be doing once they graduate. While the fundamentals are taught in the classroom, there is much more to be learned via actual experience prior to securing a full-time position. I wholeheartedly endorse taking advantage of collegiate co-op opportunities. Every engineering student should do at least two co-op rotations. It is important to understand what an engineering career can be like and to establish a base of technical experience to gain a leg up following graduation. An equally valuable alternative is volunteerism, particularly in the freshman and sophomore years. Since students with only one year of coursework behind them often are not hired as interns — and when they are, the work may offer little technical experience — more can be gained as a volunteer. By devoting your time and energy to a worthwhile cause, you can gain skills that will be valued by engineering employers. Seeking out a unique experience that offers a significant role in which you can foster innovation and develop leadership skills will ultimately result in a bigger payoff. rience of working on the team that prepared me most for the realities of an engineering job. I was able to practically apply what I was learning in class and pursue the aspects I found to be the most interesting. My investment in this project rewarded me with plenty of apt situations to discuss in my subsequent job interviews. From the other side of the desk Now, with the perspective of an interviewer, I can see how my solar car team involvement set me apart from my peers. I have interviewed countless students for co-op positions, and what I often find lacking is an experience with real-world technology and technical problem solving. These aspects of engineering are just not part of regular coursework. Class projects, while very valuable, are generally short term and greatly simplified from real-world situations. In addition, these design projects are mandatory, and every engineering student has a nearly identical experience, so it rarely differentiates one student from another. The typical co-op candidate is not expected to have had specific technical experience, but a volunteer technical role really stands out in an interview. Few engineering students are hired as co-ops for their freshman summer terms. Employers want to see that a student has had at least the basic engineering courses before entrusting her with high-value projects. Students hired before the end of their sophomore years are likely to receive unengaging projects because they have not yet learned the fundamental engineering principles. The work is valuable to the employer, but there is a good chance it will be something full-time engineers don’t particularly want to do themselves. My collegiate experience SWE RESUME DATA BANK If you are going to the national conference this fall to look for a job — co-op or full time — be sure to post your resume in the SWE resume data bank. Companies use the database to pre-screen and set up interviews at the conference. If you want to be interviewed there, the best way is to get your resume in the database as soon as you’ve registered for the conference. As you prepare for your interview, identify your contributions to specific projects; reflect on your interpersonal skills when working with a team; and understand what the experience taught you. If you can’t tell the interviewer how you impacted a project you were involved in, then it doesn’t tell them much about you. Remember that communicating what is valuable about your experience is key during an interview. As an undergraduate, I was involved in SWE and the Solar Car Team. I also spent two semesters in a co-op program in a manufacturing environment. The co-op experience was a valuable component of my engineering education, but I was in a position with limited influence over the work. And, because the projects were of a short-term scope, they didn’t reflect the average engineer’s responsibilities. My involvement with SWE not only exposed me to a variety of professional opportunities, but enabled me to develop my leadership skills as well. The Solar Car Team was a threeyear project with complex objectives requiring a cross-functional team. I took on a project management role in which I dealt with real engineering problems, including budget restrictions, labor shortages, personality conflicts, and schedule delays. I, along with other individuals on the team, served in a wide variety of functions, including mechanical designer, analyst, mechanic, and end user. Looking back, I have found that although the technical aspects of the solar car are not directly relevant to my current position, it was the expe- Being able to demonstrate instances where you tackled a real-world problem and worked within a team for something more than a grade can help you to land a great co-op position. 86 SWE FALL 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Fall 2008

SWE - Fall 2008 Heritage Club Contents Farewell Message from FY08 President Michelle Tortolani Congratulations SWE Magazine A Conversation with FY09 President Virginia Connolly, P.E. Introducing the FY09 Board of Directors View from the Executive Suite Editor's Page Public Policy Update SWE Retention Study, Part 6 Membership Information & Calendar A&B SWE Member Kristina Johnson First Woman to Receive John Fritz Medal University Labs Fuel a New Era in Energy Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2008 Opening the Gateways to Engineering Your Collegiate Section History is Waiting to Be Discovered Honoring the Legacy of Ada Pressman, P.E. Report from WEPAN Engineering World Proposed Bylaws Amendments Point of View Correction Career Toolbox Corporate Partnership Council Book Review SWE Smiles In Memory Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Fall 2008

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