I really enjoyed being immersed in a naval engineering environment. I had several successful mentors that taught me different skills that could apply to being in the field.
What I wish was different
I wish I had began a single project and focused on it to build a professional portfolio. I also wish I could’ve had a more broad list of mentors
Advice
I think that with this experience some good advice would be to try and connect with as many people as possible
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Summer Intern
May - July 2022 • Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
What I liked
I loved the opportunity to get hands-on experience with different levels of technology. There was a lot of cool stuff there that I had never seen or learned about before. Everyone was really open when it came to helping me understand the complex topics at hand. They were happy to encourage me to take steps to learn more online with different resources as well as happy to allow me to take an online class to further my knowledge of coding languages like Python.
What I wish was different
I cannot say there was a lot that I would have to change about the experience. My office was very open and welcoming towards me coming onto the job. I wish that I had more time to get further experience with some of the other hardware we had on hand. I also wish I had more time to talk and consult with different individuals on my team. They were super helpful but schedules would always conflict with the different projects each person was on.
Advice
I would advise getting the most out of your experience. Often, networking gets you a long way at making good impressions and learning about exciting opportunities. There are plenty that focuses on groundbreaking jobs that include incredible benefits like student loan forgiveness or something along those lines. Do some research on these as jobs with the US government have a lot more of these than most people realize.
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Cybersecurity Research Assistant
May - August 2021 • Washington, DC
What I liked
It was an excellent foray into OSINT research methods and intelligence work. I was involved directly with my advisor's research and presentation to elements of SOUTHCOM as well as foreign allied nations in Central and South America.
What I wish was different
I wish that I had more opportunities to network with my superiors, especially since many of them were taken from top private sector contractors.
Advice
Be upfront and give realistic expectations to your superiors.
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Contract Specialist
May - August 2021 • Hill Air Force Base, UT
What I liked
It opened my eyes to government work. The internship helped me understand how the military aquires and maintains assets.
What I wish was different
I wish covid would have allowed me to go in person. The internship was mainly teleworking.
Advice
I would advise future interns to not be afraid to ask questions.
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Student trainee
May - August 2019 • Washington, DC
What I liked
Working with a diverse community of civilians and active duty military. A lot of experienced people to learn from. With great stories
What I wish was different
A little more guidance.
Advice
Bring a book on your first day. You may be waiting to start working. For a while. A long while.
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Intern
June - August 2020 • San Francisco, CA
What I liked
- Great staff to work with; helped with on the job learning
- Got to work on a personal project to help further the Department's mission
- Considerable autonomy for an intern
What I wish was different
Advice
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Contracting Specialist Intern
May - August 2019 • Fort Meade, MD
What I liked
My coworkers were excellent and very helpful when I was first learning how to do everything.
What I wish was different
I had a lot of downtime where I had no assignments so I was sometimes bored.
Advice
Make the most of this experience—use it to network and learn about other opportunities in the agency.
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Undergrad Lab Research
June - July 2019 • New Orleans, LA
What I liked
I was able to get real life experience relating to my major and career goals. After I graduate from Dillard University, I plan to attend graduate school so obtain my masters in industrial engineering. I feel like my summer internship has defiantly given me a healthy start into my career.
What I wish was different
I wish the internship was longer. It was only from June to July. I wish I could stay until August so I could receive more practice and experience.
Advice
Do not be afraid to ask for help. It is your education so you should always utilize the resources that are given to you. Don't let a task or project discourage you from giving it your all. we are all here to learn and grow.
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Military
June 2019 • Dover Air Force Base, DE
What I liked
The comrade mentality. Uniformity between each other is something that will make everyday tasks easier without having to worry about what to wear. With that out of mind you're able to focus on work.
What I wish was different
Better work hours and less labor intensive tasks but that is the nature of the job.
Advice
Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into before you agree to do this job.
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Engineering Trainee
June 2016 • China Lake, CA
What I liked
The experience and real world application of work
What I wish was different
Nothing
Advice
I definitely recommend it
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Advanced Individual Training (Soldier)
May - August 2019 • Fort Gordon, GA
What I liked
Being paid to learn a particular skill that had relevance not only in a military setting, but in the civilian world as well. As well, meals were provided for those in training and for the most part it was pretty good.
What I wish was different
More coursework to help those of us who wanted to excel an opportunity to push ourselves.
Advice
What you put into the system is what you get out of it.
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Program Manager Intern
May - August 2019 • Robins Air Force Base, GA
What I liked
During the internship, I really enjoyed all the amazing people and new experiences! I was able to gain work experince in my desired career, build a stronger network, fly for the first in a plane, visit the National Museum of the US Air Force, and become apart of an amazing team that supports our country.
What I wish was different
Advice
The best advice I learned from my experience is to build a strong network. The greater the network you have, the more opportunities and answers you will have access to.
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Program Specialist
May - October 2019 • Duke Field AFS, FL
What I liked
Great experience managing multiple types of job duties including coordinating with vendors and various sales roles. Great opportunity to broaden your business experience in a variety of different industries (travel, sales, facility management, program creation, event coordination, graphic design, marketing campaigns, etc.). Very understanding of student schedules and willing to work with/around you. The employees and management are truly wonderful people.
What I wish was different
I wish the job would have been more applicable to my marketing degree. I also wish that it would have either had narrower/more focused job roles and responsibilities OR that the pay would have been significantly higher to justify the high level work load and amount of simultaneous roles required of you. In short, there should have been a minimum of 2-3 employees accomplishing the roles of the one job in order to maintain quality and consistency. The span of goals and tasks they needed accomplished were greater than a singular employee could adequately accomplish at a sustainable level. Apart from hiring more employees, they could also have just concentrated more on individual goals and accomplishing them one at a time instead of ask of them simultaneously. Also, the management structure necessary to achieve all of their lofty goals at once would need to be less vertical and more horizontal/empowering. The approval process, unfortunately, frequently hampered or stalled progress.
Advice
Know your worth. Do not allow any employer to ever OVER work you and UNDER pay you. Just because you CAN accomplish all the things they want you to, doesn’t mean you should. Make sure that you are always doing everything the best that you can. It’s better to do one thing AMAZING then 10 things OK. If your employer doesn’t understand this, help them to. If they won’t be helped, don’t compromise the integrity of your work for a paycheck. Always make sure you understand their goals and what they expect of you AND that they understand your capabilities and what’s REALISTIC to achieve within a specified timeline.
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Mechanical Engineer Intern
May - August 2019 • Washington, DC
What I liked
Experience, great team to work with and learn from
What I wish was different
Nothing
Advice
Don’t be scared to jump in and help out
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Avionics Technician
June 2008 • Cherry Point, NC
What I liked
I like volunteering and socialize with local community.
What I wish was different
no comments
Advice
I'm reliable and flexible
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Civilian Personnel Intern
June - August 2019 • Hanscom Air Force Base, MA
What I liked
I loved the people and their willingness to teach me and answer any questions I had.
What I wish was different
I wish there were other interns working in the department I was in.
Advice
This would be a great opportunity for those who want to go into the public sector.
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USHUS
June - August 2019 • Bethesda, MD
What I liked
I liked experiencing how each sub department played a role at the university.
What I wish was different
I wish I met more people outside of my department.
Advice
There was always something going on. Take advantage of he learning experiences.
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Chemical Engineering Intern
August 2019 • Indian Head, MD
What I liked
I was able to receive on the job training in a couple different chemical plants.
My position can also transition into a full-time employment upon graduation from college.
What I wish was different
I was only there for seven weeks this summer so they did not have me work specifically on any project. I would have liked to see an actual result from my time there this summer instead of just experience.
Advice
Learn everything you can. Learn everyone's job and try to help where ever you can.
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Student Trainee
June - August 2019 • Phoenix, AZ
What I liked
Amazing people, great staff
What I wish was different
Job listing was more specific
Advice
Keep an open mind and be personable.
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STEM Scholar
May 2018 • Picatinny Arsenal, NJ
What I liked
I like the opportunity to work alongside a DoD employee and to start a project of my own.
What I wish was different
I wish it was a longer program instead of just 10 weeks.
Advice
Get yourself out there and network! If you talk with your colleagues (especially those with permanent jobs there) your chances of getting an offer increases tremendously !
