My internships have given me a number of skills that I could not have developed in the classroom. I think the most
important aspect of my internships are the tremendous strides I have been able to make in my interpersonal and
presentation skills. I have spent many long days trying to figure out problems and having to approach many different
people for input (from finance, engineering, management, electricians, mechanics, machine operators, etc). This was a
great growth experience and taught me that rarely are engineering problems solved in isolation.
I was given a chance to grow my presentation skills far beyond what I thought possible. One summer I was able to
fly to a corporate headquarters and give a presentation of my work to senior leadership. A tremendous amount of preparation
and learning was involved.
Another aspect that I really found important was technical depth. I began to realize how exactly my education would fit
in with my career and began to develop specialties. I became very good with understanding plant control systems architectures
and power system setup. I gained a high level of proficiency in PLC programming and SCADA development. I also learned a great
deal about systems engineering, and optimizing processes, both automated and human-in-the-loop.
Being able to have a wide range of experiences, such as managing operators, leading an electrical construction project,
PLC development, and being involved in technical training of personnel has given me very good insight into the engineer's role
in running a business. Regardless of the industry I decide to stay in long term, this experience and insight gained is priceless.