Honda

Production Engineering Co-op

May - December 2022 • Marysville, OH

What I liked

Co-oping at Honda has been a great experience. Overall, I think this is one of the best companies you can co-op for as an engineering student. I was part of the virtual factory team. My job mostly entailed doing verification of items in the plant and 3d modeling. Honda has excellent classes that my mentor put me through. Coming into Honda I’ve only had basic experience in 3d cad using solidworks. Honda uses Catia. I took a couple classes on Catia which gave me a good understanding of how everything works. Any time I ran into questions I had a couple people on my team who were very knowledgeable and helpful. My mentor was generally hands off which allowed me to learn things without constantly just having the solution given to me. When I needed help, he was very helpful and always available.

What I wish was different

The actual work I was doing was enjoyable. The only issue I had was with the co-op department. In general, they were very unorganized and did a poor job passing information along. On multiple occasion I did not receive an email that was supposed to be sent to all co-ops. Fortunately my mentor had a good idea of everything going on so this wasn’t a major issue.

Advice

If you co-op at Honda the best thing you can do is actually get out on the plant floor. It’s interesting seeing how a car starts as a roll of steal on a trailer and becomes a completed car. Ask a lot of questions. Most of what I learned outside of my specific Job was because I saw something interesting and wanted to know how it worked. Everyone in the plant is eager to explain how things work. If you’re co-op at one of the Ohio plants try and get an opportunity to tour the other Ohio plants. If you’re at an auto plant make sure you visit the Anna engine plant.

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Quality Engineer

May - August 2022 • Marysville, OH

What I liked

Honda allowed me to use knowledge gained from university throughout my term while simultaneously encouraging me to pursue aspects of my field I am either unfamiliar or not confident in. My team was very inviting and they provided me with projects and daily tasks full time employees would take on. Also, the mentorship program at Honda has been a very pleasing experience.

What I wish was different

I wish, as a computer engineer, that Honda was a bit more catering to ones degree field or desire. It's awesome to work at Honda because they believe anyone can accel in any position there. However, looking back at my first term with them. My first rotation wasn't quite what they described, nor did they share any job description until I got the offer.

Advice

Go in with an open mind and be ready to learn. Honda takes the idea of a well rounded engineer and amplifies it. The co-workers are great. The communication is definitely above average, and the company as a whole wants you to be the best version of you. With no pressure to return or even extend your term.

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Aluminum Machining Co-op

May - August 2022 • Anna, OH

What I liked

I loved my co-op experience with Honda. I was paired with a mentor who I was able to go to with any questions I had. We worked together with a tight-knit team of engineers on an engine block machining line. The work was exciting and fast paced, with new problems arising every day that needed engineering skills to require. Even though I was not familiar with many of the skills required for the job, I was able to learn quickly, and within a few weeks, I was able to work completely independently as a real asset to the team, making positive improvements to the line. Honda also offered a co-op career fair in the middle of my term in which all of the departments throughout Honda in America sent out fliers about their department and what roles they had available. We were able to pick five departments we had interest in, they were sent our resumes, and interviews were set up if there was mutual interest. This made it easy to move between departments between co-op terms if you want to. Honda also set up and paid for the majority of the rent for a nice apartment for me to live in during my term.

What I wish was different

The only thing I did not like about the entire process of applying to and working for Honda was that I did not have a lot of say in which department I worked for in the initial interview process. Every mechanical engineering position was under one application for my term. I then was offered an interview. The interview was with several different departments at once, I don't remember being asked much about which department I would prefer to work for. I was only offered a position from one of those departments after the interview, so there much option on my end. Perhaps this is personal to me, but I wish the interviews were separate with different departments, and they would offer separately. I am not sure if this experience applies to others as well.

Advice

I would advise you to give Honda a try. They have a seasoned and very well organized co-op program that has been around for quite sometime. They take good care of their co-ops, and truly care about giving them a good experience, helping them learn as much as possible, and allowing them to explore their passions.

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Electrical Engineering Co-op

May - August 2022 • Russells Point, OH

What I liked

I greatly enjoyed the variety of projects I was assigned and the fact that I almost never sat at my desk all day. The expectation in my department was to understand the problems we were presented with by observing and addressing them live on the factory floor. When it came to working on the projects, the work environment was generally hands-off, which allowed me to explore the problems at hand at my own pace. Also I was able to learn about important technologies and software that are used across the EE field and automotive industry without being under constant supervision. However, if I needed help, my mentor was always more than willing to point me in the right direction and provide valuable advice. Overall, it was an excellent and realistic look into the life of a full-time engineer.

What I wish was different

If I could change one thing about my experience as a co-op, I wish I had some more time at the beginning of my term with my mentor. I believe it would be beneficial to the co-ops' productivity to get a more thorough walk-through of the software/other technology we would be using during the term. Personally, I feel like I would have needed even less help from my mentor if I had some more training at the beginning of my term, especially because this was my first co-op term. Also, I think that the general speed of communication between associates AND between associates/admin can be improved. This would have prevented some delays I encountered while working on particular projects. Faster responses to emails/teams messages would have allowed me to make more time-efficient decisions regarding the courses of action I took.

Advice

One of the most important lessons I learned was the value of keeping extremely organized as a co-op. Throughout the semester, I kept track of my clock in/clock out times on a daily basis and recorded my activity/progress on projects. This gave me the ability to make sure I was payed the correct amount every time, and making my final presentation for the term was as easy as referring to my daily activity log. Also, I recommend that co-ops always maintain a positive attitude and stay motivated, even when assigned projects that seem too difficult at first.

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Systems and Drivability CO-OP Engineer

January - August 2018 • Columbus, OH

What I liked

Very welcoming team, passionate engineers, diverse (loved the Japanese culture), uniforms, very hands on, challenging and integrated work

What I wish was different

More structure for Co-ops

Advice

Take the opportunity to live somewhere different. After working for Honda, I cared less about location and more about the type of people I work with. Priorities/lifestyles change and internships are a great way to figure that sort of thing out.

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NVH Vehicle Performance Intern

June - August 2018 • Raymond, OH

What I liked

During my internship, I became the “expert” in my group with CFD and StarCCM+ simulation software, and it felt good to be knowledgeable and trusted in a topic. Also, I was able to leave my desk to work on other projects and explore my interests.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Infotainment Software Engineer Intern

May - August 2018 • Marysville, OH

What I liked

Great experience to learn software development on a professional level. Worked with tools that real world developers use in shipping software/programs.

What I wish was different

I would have liked to explore different areas of software development - I worked on one project the whole time.

Advice

Ask for more/different work if you don't like what you are doing!

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Research Analyst Intern

May - August 2018 • Torrance, CA

What I liked

My favorite aspect of the internship though was researching competitor cars of Honda's and testing them out. I was able to drive various vehicles and really understand how they worked from a technical perspective. I definitely learned a lot about the car industry and received insight on how it is to work a full time job in the "real world."

What I wish was different

For this internship the only part I wish had been different is being able to work with more interns. There were only 2 other interns as well as myself, and it was great to collaborate with them but I think it would have been more fulfilling to have more of a team to work with.

Advice

The biggest lesson I took from this summer was learning to manage a 40/hour per week work schedule. Balancing a full work schedule while trying to maintain some social life was definitely an adjustment but I think it was a good learning experience that will help prepare for life after I graduate.

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Mechanical Engineer Interior Designer

May - August 2018 • Columbus, OH

What I liked

I was able to get real projects and get a lot of experience. I had two mentors that helped me when I had questions. I was given responsibility of the glove box of a new car coming out and got flown to LA to work with stylists.

What I wish was different

One thing I wish could've been different is the communication between HR and myself when I was at school and getting ready to move out to Ohio. They took a long time to respond and I felt rushed moving out.

Advice

Don't be afraid to look for jobs outside of Marquette's career fair. Their are a lot of good companies that come here but find a company that you can see yourself working for. Get to know their culture and make sure you would fit in with it.

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Student Associate

August - December 2018 • Raymond, OH

What I liked

Friendly and helpful enviroment

What I wish was different

I was pretty content

Advice

If you aren't big into cars I would think twice about it but there were still plenty of employees that didn't and were still great at what they did

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Engineer

May - August 2018 • Raymond, OH

What I liked

Flexible start time. Paid training. Benefits. Overtime. Responsibility.

What I wish was different

Location was far from housing.

Advice

If your not passionate about the automotive industry, I do not suggest working here.

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IS Intern

June - August 2018 • Raymond, OH

What I liked

The entire experiance was very helpful and I learned a lot about software development.

What I wish was different

I liked living in Columbus but it was expensive.

Advice

Look for internships early, the good ones fill up fast.

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Engineering Co-op

May 2019 • Raymond, OH

What I liked

Excellent community and engaging work environment

What I wish was different

Advice

Bring your professionality and work ethic

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Student Associate

June - August 2020 • Raymond, OH

What I liked

I loved the culture, coworkers, work, location, and benefits. I really enjoyed virtually all aspects of the job. I learned a lot and really felt like I was obtaining and refining my skills as an engineer.

What I wish was different

There were occasional lulls in work where I had to be just as diligent in finding work to do as I was to actually do the work itself. I would have rather used all my time productively.