Reflection

1. My STEP Signature Project was an internship at a company called Positec who works with manufacturing power tools. My main activities included working with a Glowforge laser cutter and working with the product development team to test, innovate, and document new products.
2. I learned that I like to try things out before asking questions. I am very hands on and can better learn through trial and error instead of it being explained to me. I assumed that I would be stuck on a lot of documentation and busy work and wouldn’t really have a worthwhile experience. I was rewarded with a rewarding experience in a new city where I was able to explore both in my career field and my adventurous side. I learned a lot about the industry of power tools and how it works on a global standpoint. Being able to be close with the leaders of the company, I was able to witness big decisions that would change the direction of the company.
3. The events that led to me learning more about myself were when my boss gave me special projects to learn more about. These projects such as the Glowforge laser cutter were projects where no one in the company understood it. I like this the best because then I can do my own research and then go back and teach others. There is no pressure or difficulty in trying to learn something that everyone already knows about. When they were able to trust me with new projects and gave me a long leash to complete it myself, I had a boost of confidence and completed my best work.

The interactions and relationships I developed at Positec has molded me greatly for who I am today. I had a very accessible boss and 3 other supervisors who were some of my closest mentors at the company. They not only helped me find more efficient ways of completing tasks but also encouraged me to think for myself and ask questions openly. Although I feel that I need to continue to work on these attributes, I have developed stronger communication and people skills from this experience.

Some other activities that allowed me to change and develop over the summer were because I was in the new city of Charlotte. Since I had never been there before, I had all the reasons to go out and explore. I tried new foods such as Vietnamese and tried the famous southern barbeque. I met some new friends and experienced different parts of Charlotte such as The Olympic Whitewater Center. These experiences allowed me to get in touch with nature and adventurous side which would not have been able to be achieved without this experience.

4. These changes and development of my whole self is important because it is not healthy to stay stagnant. If I am not developing myself, then I’m not trying new things, making mistakes, and learning from these mistakes. To move forward in my career, I must go out and have these work experiences so that I can learn more about the engineering world. As I’m learning more about my career, I am learning more about myself and the world around me. This allows me to become wiser and add attributes to my personality that will hopefully help me progress through life.