Wondering how you can get work experience as an engineering student?  Sarah Langehennig, a Mechanical Engineering graduate from The University of Texas at Austin, shares her engineering internship experience.   

"This past summer I worked at a company in Northern California in an area called Silicon Valley. It is an interesting and exciting area to work in because there is a high tech company on every corner. I had a great experience, because I learned so much about industry, the work environment, engineering applications and also had a lot of fun! The company I worked for makes equipment for fiber optic networks, 

something I honestly knew nothing about before I started working there.

I was given real engineering projects to work on where I was able to apply the engineering skills I had from school, while also gaining new skills and knowledge. I got to work in the manufacturing lab getting hand-on experience with the product, had several projects where I got to work with 3D CAD modeling software, and I also learned how to write engineering documentation.

I really enjoyed meeting and working with other interns. There were several other interns in my program. My company had many intern activities throughout the summer, such as bowling and Lunch and Learns to learn more about the company's technology. I also got to take several weekend trips with my fellow interns and other interns that worked in the area. I visited the beaches nearby several times, went canoeing on 4th of July, went to various museums, and made a few trips up to San Francisco (it was only about an hour train ride from where I lived!).

From my experience, internships give you a taste of real working life. You can learn what you like and don't like about the industry. If you don't know what you want to do or where you want to work, then internships can really help with figuring it out." 

The Cockrell School of Engineering provides many resources and programs for current engineering students interested in exploring their career options.

WEP provides opportunities such as the Evening with Industry Banquet and Consider Every Option workshops to students interested in networking and career exploration.

Learn about WEP's Career Connections

The Engineering Career Assistance Center (ECAC) provides resume assistance, the Engineering Career Expos, and information on internships, co-ops.

Learn about ECAC and its programs