Electrical Engineering Internships
Engineering is a branch of knowledge that the world cannot do without. More than 80% of countries’ budget allocation is drained to the hands of engineers. In fact, you can say that a country’s development equals to engineering projects invested in. The second most junk of budget goes to human resource and still in these engineers have their share. To implement these projects every country has established engineering colleges and universities for learners to gain technical skills after which they are required in the field. It’s highly likely you have searched for this post because you are an engineer in the making and to this, I say congratulations, it’s a great profession.
Technical staff, the reality check
In the school environment, most of the learning is in a theoretical form where you are required to visualize in the mind, in fact, electricity is something that cannot be seen but its effect is real. Save for the laboratory with test equipment, you need practical engagement to reconcile theory with the actual or better said ideally with reality. Electrical engineering internships are the program of 6 months to one year where the learner after finishing course work gets in the field and works in hand with professional engineers in day to day execution of engineering projects.
Where to seek placement
The greatest question of all times to learners is where to get an internship. While in some countries the government or the school makes an effort to place their graduates to internships, the majority do not offer these. Well well, while studying do your research on companies dealing with electrical engineering services, these ranges from state corporations, multinational companies to local companies. In your research read the profile of their services and see if it’s relevant to your profession. Should you get one that satisfies you, get the contact and enquire whether they offer internships, be a go-getter. The second way is asking your lecturers for any leads, be sure to get assistance. To not forget your seniors, ask them where they were placed and if they gained what they went for. Last but not least, be up to date, read newspapers, engineering journals, blogs, watch TV news, Radio news and advertising media for internship opening. Organize your application document and apply, take note of the deadline, the documents to attach and where to drop the application.
What to do after being placed
You are now good to go; you have gotten your internship and hey congrats. What do you need to do? Most students get bored because they are not paid, they lack dedication and often miss to report to work. Not for you, friend if you want to learn. Get yourself a pen and a notebook, report to work on time, be inquisitive and seek knowledge. Enquire from the staff you are under, do research to supplement your field knowledge and be ready and willing to take tasks. One thing I have observed is that you have to go for it, remember the staff is not paid to train you, be friendly and available to them to optimize knowledge gain. If they have a library or books, get to read them, at some point be confident enough to ask for tasks and execute them with excellence.
Experience gain a plus during apprenticeship
Internship in engineering can take up to three years before being registered as a professional engineer and well, this is the case in my country. Remember the purpose of this is to gain experience of what you need to. Identify which field you would like to specialize in within the wider electrical engineering, some have even taken a non-engineering route altogether. In the area that you settle work on it in seeking more knowledge, do the work that you will enjoy doing.
After the Electrical Engineering Internships, then what?
Your program has come to an end, good or bad news? You tell me. I think it’s a good thing to accomplish this learning session. You now have practical skills or experience. Go ahead and update your resume and arm yourself to a more challenging electrical engineering internship or entry-level job. In the next article, I will share with you how to navigate the entry-level electrical engineering job. Sleeve up and get rising the ladder of engineering expertise. Bravo
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