I was treated like a full member of the team, got hands-on with the equipment, and had independence when it came to my internship project.
What I wish was different
The work could have been faster paced.
Advice
Be proactive about work here. My experience had little structure, and so it was up to me to make the most of my experience. I think this will apply to anyone doing an internship here and is a consequence of this being a government role.
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Electrical Engineering Intern
May - July 2021 • Newport, RI
What I liked
I was treated like a regular engineer and given lots of autonomy. Managers and coworkers were accommodating to the best of their ability to let me gain the kind of experiences I wanted to get. The work often has direct implications/effects on the submarine fleet, so the work is meaningful; I felt like I was helping my country. The people were friendly and I made good friends in my department. In general, I was happy to go into work each day.
What I wish was different
The work was often slow and I had to find ways to fill my time, since there was no firm schedule in my department (I cannot testify about other departments, and there are a lot of other departments). There were lots of frustrating inefficiencies that were impossible to resolve, probably because of bureaucracy in the Navy administration.
Advice
Be proactive. There is no firm schedule or outline for work and internships here, so you need to push your coworkers and supervisors to be able to do what you want to do. It won't be handed to you unless you ask for it.
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Software Engineer Intern
July - September 2020 • Newport, RI
What I liked
Friendly co-workers. Easy to telework.
What I wish was different
More in-person contact, but not much we could’ve done about that.
Advice
Working at NUWC don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are going to be things you don’t understand and they would rather you ask than let it all go over your head.
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Mechanical Engineer
May 2019 • Newport, RI
What I liked
The atmosphere of work as well as the people and type of work is great.
What I wish was different
Potentially explore more areas of work within the company.
Advice
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Software Engineer Intern
June - August 2019 • Newport, RI
What I liked
Working at NUWC is very hands on and provides many networking opportunities. The engineers working there are very friendly and knowledgeable, making it easy to learn and ask questions.
What I wish was different
More preparation on the part of NUWC in terms of work to do.
Advice
Ask a lot of questions.
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Computer Engineering Intern
July 2019 • Newport, RI
What I liked
Independence
What I wish was different
Wish I'd received permissions sooner, wish there was more work assigned that wasn't just reading/writing/editing documentation
Advice
Get permission requests in ASAP
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Engineer
May 2017 • Newport, RI
What I liked
I was treated like a real member of the team
What I wish was different
I wish the project used more modern engineering practices and languages
Advice
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Mechanical Engineering Intern
June 2019 • Newport, RI
What I liked
My fellow co-workers are extremely welcoming and open to offering advice and assistance on anything and everything. I also always stay busy when I am there with tasking that is never ending and very intriguing.
What I wish was different
I wish I was able to jump right into the big projects being worked on there, but as an intern, you are not capable of attaining a secret clearance, which you need for some of these projects' taskings.
Advice
Get your hands dirty with as much tasking as possible as soon as possible and get to know as many people as possible. Walk around and ask questions to other NUWC employees about what they are working on to get a feel for which code/projects you'd most likely see yourself working in/on.
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Intern
June - August 2019 • Newport, RI
What I liked
Hands on experience
What I wish was different
More work with other departments
Advice
Get involved and meet as many people as you can
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Marine Engineering Intern
June - August 2019 • Newport, RI
What I liked
I enjoyed working with other ocean engineers in Newport, I was able to learn a lot about my field. It helped expand my network here at school as well and gain insight into what I want to do after graduation.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Accounting Clerk
October 2017 - August 2018 • Newport, RI
What I liked
Flexible schedule, nice facilities, fast work pace. My supervisor was a Norwich Alumni.
What I wish was different
Nicer coworkers.
Advice
Go in head on, take on the challenge, get the job done and move on to the next one as fast as possible. Be friendly and inviting, don’t forget to take part in command activities.
