I didn't realize that most positions require graduate school at minimum.
Advice
Make connections, be adamant if you want to work there
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R&D Intern
May - August 2018 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
The experience at a leading national lab.
What I wish was different
Albuquerque is a miserable place to live. Nothing gets done at Sandia because of the nature of their work and the need to be escorted everywhere. The design cycle is 20 years long so nothing happens. I was extremely bored.
Advice
I would not work at Sandia if you enjoy a social atmosphere and fast-paced work
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Chemical Laboratory Technician
June - August 2018 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
It was really awesome working with a bunch of people who had years of experience in the field, along with a huge amount of post-docs, grad-students and undergrads. I was exposed to a lot of laboratory techniques and equipment that most students will probably never see until they go to grad-school, and I had the pleasure of working on research and running experiments that have not been done before.
What I wish was different
To be honest, the only things I wish were different, was that the summer wouldn't end. I loved my experience there and would have been happy to just work there for the rest of my life. But alas, I must go to school :)
The only bad thing I can say about it, is that because of it's location (most of it on an AF base) it can take a bit long to commute, and it also makes the hiring process (because it's a government contractor) and getting access to the worksite can be a bit of a pain. I think it's completely understandable however, and the fact you can work there and be able to work inter-discplinary projects and do research, I think that vastly overpowers the issue of working there, and respecting the importance of the work there, I don't have an issue with them spending extra time checking me.
Advice
I guess my only advice is to realize that you are working for the government, and everything is generally of national security. Knowledge can be deadly in the wrong hands, so don't be stupid and jeopardize your job. Realize that you will be a target while you work there, and after you leave.
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Research & Development Intern
May 2018 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Being able to experience many phases and areas of the R&D process. Work varied from hands on in the lab work to design calculation.
What I wish was different
An option to work more that 40 hours would have been nice. It is understandable why that isn't an option though.
Advice
Where ever you work or intern, get to know your team and try to integrate with them as soon as possible. This will allow you to work on many more interesting things as well as learn a lot from there experiences.
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Electrical Engineering Intern
May 2018 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Great experience that taught me a lot about microwave engineering.
What I wish was different
I wish I could have done more. I didn't feel like I was able to do as much as I wish I had.
Advice
Learn all you can where ever you go and make he most of the time you have.
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Year-Round R&D Intern
March 2017 • Kirtland Air Force Base, NM
What I liked
I am working in a lab, and so I do both experimentation, data reduction and analysis and experimental design. From my experience at Sandia, I've found that I enjoy experimental work and would most likely do experimental astrophysics for my PhD research. I'm very lucky that I was able to work in a department that does mainly high energy-density astrophysics (something that I am interested in) and that the project I am working on is beyond just running data and busy work. I also feel like I have a lot of autonomy but my mentors are always available and willing to help me.
What I wish was different
Although I really enjoyed the autonomy, I felt like management was a little disengaged when it came to my work and well-being. I would've liked for my manager to check up on me more often, even if it was through email.
Advice
It's pretty much impossible to produce and learn anything meaningful without working with other people. Throughout the duration of my project, I've had to work with people of many different backgrounds and experiences and have found that this was probably one of the most valuable things I have gained from my time at Sandia.
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R&D Intern
June 2018 • Livermore, CA
What I liked
The work environment is friendly and helpful. The people are brilliant. The tasks are real-world problems we get to work on. Overall, it's an excellent place to intern or work.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Product design engineer
May 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
It is an amazing job
What I wish was different
N/A
Advice
Keep applying and don’t underestimate your skills. NMT is a great place to learn
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Backend Software Engineer
May 2018 • Livermore, CA
What I liked
The project I was working on.
What I wish was different
The company culture and main focus.
Advice
Visit Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.
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Project Controller
May 2018 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Uniqueness, opportunity, and the freedom
What I wish was different
I wish I didn't eat so many Golden Pride Burritos
Advice
Step outside your comfort zone, work somewhere you have never been and push yourself to do your own personal networking
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R&D engineering co-op
June - December 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
I loved the diversity in work i was doing. I also loved how I was being challenged to perform various tasks. I was consistently learning new things and equipment I will continue to use in my career.
What I wish was different
my pay was based on credits taken. My pay was increased half way through my co-op to reflect the credits I had earned prior to beginning my co-op. I would have rather been given the rate deserved in the beginning of my co-op rather than half way through.
Advice
Always ask questions. Coming into the lab there are a lot of things that will be new and unknown. Always ask about something you are unfamiliar with.
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Research and Devlopment Intern
June 2017 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Good intern network and mentor relationship
What I wish was different
A little more defined scope of work
Advice
Sandia is an amazing place to work, if you can try and move around to a couple internship to try and find what suits you best!
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R&D Intern
April 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
The work environment and team oriented work.
What I wish was different
More background specific Work
Advice
If you want to feel like a part of something greater and work with a team of experts SNL is the place!
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Computer Science Intern
February 2020 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
I feel that I learned more, in terms of practical knowledge, in the first six months of interning than I did in the entirety of my college career.
What I wish was different
It would have been nice to receive more mentorship while working, but that hasn’t really been possible due to the pandemic.
Advice
If you’re jumping careers (or starting fresh out of high school), an internship like this is a great opportunity to bolster your classroom learning with on-the-job skills!
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Year round intern
May 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
I liked being able to apply my degree knowledge and participate in the working environment.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Chemical Engineering Intern
May - August 2020 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
My manager and mentor were both very helpful and great to work with during my internship. I was able to learn more about processes and develop new skills that I otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to do.
What I wish was different
The internship was completely remote due to COVID, which was somewhat disappointing and challenging, but Sandia made the best out of the situation and made working remotely very easy
Advice
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R&D Intern - Undergrad
April 2018 - May 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
You have the potential to learn a lot and gain plenty of experience. Mentors try to expose you to many aspects of research. The pay is quite generous, especially for undergraduate students. And working schedule is amenable and accommodating to any lifestyle. If you get a year round internship, most mentors will try to work around your class schedule so that you don’t have to miss.
What I wish was different
With Sandia being in Albuquerque and me going to school at NMT in Socorro, I would have to drive down three times a week to meet the hour requirements during the school year.
Advice
Mentors can only do so much to help you get the experience you want. Make the most of it by trying to help the technologists when your mentors don’t have anything for you to do.
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Undergraduate R&D Cyber Security Intern
June 2020 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Very nice people, very good work environment.
What I wish was different
My internship was remote which was a truly awful experience. I definitely learned a lot but it was miserable working 8-5 alone in my room, and only meeting with people on Teams meetings a couple times a week.
Advice
Remote internships suck but are still worth the eperience.
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Summer Undergraduate R&D S&E Intern
May - August 2018 • Kirtland Air Force Base, NM
What I liked
The relocation benefits, the 9/80 schedule, I went on a business trip with the web development team, everyone I worked with was patient, passionate and excited to teach me. I felt like the work I was doing actually benefitted the organization and had real-world value for the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Everyone in the facility was nurturing and friendly and answered any and every questions I had. They were welcoming and I learned very quickly that it was a family. I made friends that I will keep close for a very long time, and memories that I won't soon forget. My facility (the Z Pulsed Power Facility) was different, I think. Summer 2017, I also worked for Sandia but not at Z, and I had projects that were handed to me and that was it. At Z, I had the chance to see where the facility can improve and take it upon myself to fix it. For some, that may be stressful, but I like that level of autonomy.
For a general intern at Sandia, there was lots to do. Lots of projects, but tons of fun intern events as well. Barbecues, job fairs, resume reviews galore. It was awesome!
What I wish was different
I was the only one from Stony Brook. I wish Sandia was advertised more out here because it's such a great place to work. I know they work a lot with University of New Mexico (makes sense), Missouri S&T, and other great schools, but I don't think they've reached out this far east yet. I hope that changes.
Advice
Stay curious. Stay ambitious. This isn't just for Sandia Labs, this is life advice: Stay hungry and make things happen for yourself. I would also say it's important to know how to adapt and never stop learning.
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Electrical Engineering Intern
May - August 2022 • Livermore, CA
What I liked
I had a great experience. I was put on a project suited to my skills and talents, and I was utilized well and efficiently throughout the whole summer.
