The Engineering Expo was announced in my Fundamentals of Engineering class. I was initially uncertain if I wanted to participate because I did not think employers would be interested in employing freshman but decided to go nevertheless because I figured it be worth going and getting experience. This felt out of my comfort zone cause I’d never dealt with this type of situation before and it was new and daunting. However, once I started talking to Honda, the first employer I approached, I realized I was very comfortable talking to people and had soft skills developed that aren’t taught in the classroom. By talking to employers I became even more confident and even though many didn’t want a freshman to intern for them I at least had the experience of communicating professionally. One employer that stood out was GE Aviation, they informed me that they wanted underclassman for interns to train them from early on in college education. I was thrilled to hear this because their company has always interested me and I plan to apply for a co-op or internship with them soon.
My Fundementals of Engineering has been one of the most time consuming classes I’ve taken in my entire life. It has caused many of my peers to consider leaving the major due to the demand and while I’ve found myself to a degree questioning that as well I’ve thought a lot about it and have accepted it is going to be tough and I am going to make it through. I talked to a professor in Aerospace Engineering and talking to him about the exciting opportunities in industry and academia reminded me why I am here in this challenging program and I have had a much more positive outlook on my college experience and future.
