OT: Summer internships in writing or industrial engineering

[Scarlet Jerry]

Yes, this sounds like a left brain/right brain request, but I know a college student who is double majoring in English and engineering at another Big 10 university (not one that we dislike). He is home for the summer in North Jersey, and is looking for a summer internship opportunity in the area, including NYC or remote work. His areas of interest include both writing and industrial engineering. This board has always been a useful resource for things like this in the off season, so any internship leads would be appreciated. Thanks.

Scarlet Jerry

 

[RU848789]

Sorry, no leads, but as someone who used to hire 2-3 RU eng'g interns for summers for about 12 years for Merck (many of whom eventually ended up working there), the one thing I can say is he's really late in looking for a summer internship. We and most other major pharma, biotech, energy, etc. players typically interviewed for summer interns on campus in the mid/late fall and extended any offers by December. Doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to find something, but I think it'll be harder this late in the game.

Has he tried to work with the career folks or any of his prof contacts at his school? Does he have a resume? And if he does, tell him that while it doesn't have to be flashy it ought to be perfect, i.e., no typos or other errors (if I saw more than 1 or 2, the resume went in the trash, as anyone who wasn't detail oriented enough to get that right was likely someone who might miss even more important details on the job). Good luck.

 

[rubaseball78]

Sorry, no leads, but as someone who used to hire 2-3 RU eng'g interns for summers for about 12 years for Merck (many of whom eventually ended up working there), the one thing I can say is he's really late in looking for a summer internship. We and most other major pharma, biotech, energy, etc. players typically interviewed for summer interns on campus in the mid/late fall and extended any offers by December. Doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to find something, but I think it'll be harder this late in the game.

Has he tried to work with the career folks or any of his prof contacts at his school? Does he have a resume? And if he does, tell him that while it doesn't have to be flashy it ought to be perfect, i.e., no typos or other errors (if I saw more than 1 or 2, the resume went in the trash, as anyone who wasn't detail oriented enough to get that right was likely someone who might miss even more important details on the job). Good luck.

He is late. Our interns start next week.

 

[Scarlet Jerry]

Thanks everyone. I know that it’s hard to hire people in general at this time, so I thought that there might be opportunities available. I also think that it’s hard when you are talented in both writing and engineering, trying to decide what you would like to do. On the other hard, having skills in two different domains is also pretty rare, so I thought that would also make him a desirable candidate for a position. I do appreciate the advice from @RU848789

Scarlet Jerry

 

[fsg2]

If he doesn't find an internship, plenty of paid freelance writing available that he could apply for. Seasonal, ongoing, part-time, full-time. One of the most flexible types of remote work.

Technical writing would be one that could combine his skill sets.

 

[anvilofstars]

I’d say it’s too late for the engineering internships. My guess is that his best chance at the moment is to write articles/stories for the many contests and events on social media. Could help the resume if he wins some accolades. Not as good as a job, but I would imagine it’s a good way to network and build resume at the same time. If he gets good, he may even win some money.

 

[Knight Shift]

Thanks everyone. I know that it’s hard to hire people in general at this time, so I thought that there might be opportunities available. I also think that it’s hard when you are talented in both writing and engineering, trying to decide what you would like to do. On the other hard, having skills in two different domains is also pretty rare, so I thought that would also make him a desirable candidate for a position. I do appreciate the advice from @RU848789

Scarlet Jerry

Any interest in patent law? Combines engineering and technical knowledge with technical writing. We are not planning to hire for the summer, but if there is interest in exploring, I could meet him to discuss.

 

[RUinPinehurst]

Most schools have cooperative education programs. Through the program, a student can obtain part-time or full-time employment during a semester or summer. Once employed, returning to the same employer is common, even rotating to different departments. You make $, network and establish connections, get experience, etc. Upon graduation, the coop student will very often be permanently employed by the same company. Or venture out, with invaluable experience.

 

[newell138]

Sorry, no leads, but as someone who used to hire 2-3 RU eng'g interns for summers for about 12 years for Merck (many of whom eventually ended up working there), the one thing I can say is he's really late in looking for a summer internship. We and most other major pharma, biotech, energy, etc. players typically interviewed for summer interns on campus in the mid/late fall and extended any offers by December. Doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to find something, but I think it'll be harder this late in the game.

Has he tried to work with the career folks or any of his prof contacts at his school? Does he have a resume? And if he does, tell him that while it doesn't have to be flashy it ought to be perfect, i.e., no typos or other errors (if I saw more than 1 or 2, the resume went in the trash, as anyone who wasn't detail oriented enough to get that right was likely someone who might miss even more important details on the job). Good luck.

I was thinking the same thing. We already have summer interns starting up this week and last.

Anyone looking for a job this summer should have plenty of options, especially if he wants to head to the shore. While not career related, its likely too late for that, I know places here that are starting at $20 an hour for summer help.

 

[Scarlet Jerry]

Thanks for this info, everyone. Also, thanks for the offer Knight Shift. This board is always very helpful. I'm sure the internship landscape has also changed due to COVID.

Scarlet Jerry

 

[RUfinally2008]

My son, a Rutgers Engineering Grad, did 2 summer internships and the Christmas of his Senior year was offered a job as long as he graduated. It took all the pressure off knowing he had a well paying job in his back pocket. Hired by a Rutgers grad,he stayed there for 12 years until recently getting recruited away to a major Engineering firm his boss couldn't match and wished him well. Internships are a great way to get in the field you majored in

 

[RU848789]

My son, a Rutgers Engineering Grad, did 2 summer internships and the Christmas of his Senior year was offered a job as long as he graduated. It took all the pressure off knowing he had a well paying job in his back pocket. Hired by a Rutgers grad,he stayed there for 12 years until recently getting recruited away to a major Engineering firm his boss couldn't match and wished him well. Internships are a great way to get in the field you majored in

Agreed. I used to refer to internships as extended interviews, where each party got to see whether the other was worth investing a lot more in, i.e., full time employment. Interns definitely had a leg up on getting hired vs. people we only knew through interviews. Competition for the 2-3 internships I awarded to RU eng'g (mostly chem eng'g) students each year was pretty intense. I would do a full info night on campus with interested students (always had good turnouts - could have been the free pizza) and several Merck reps, including at least one former intern who could speak about the program better than I could, and then would typically interview about 15 candidates (after going through about 30-40 resumes) to get the top 2-3. The interns we hired worked at any one of several sites in NJ/PA and sometimes our factories in other locations; occasionally one worked in our department. Was a lot of work for me, too, but it was very rewarding work.

 

[RUnTeX]

Technical writing would be one that could combine his skill sets.

This, and.....

Any interest in patent law? Combines engineering and technical knowledge with technical writing.

This.

@Scarlet Jerry
While I don't have any leads on summer internships, I would advocate your friend investigate technical writing opportunities in some fashion, as it's a logical intersection of the two interests/fields. It's probably not as right brain/left brain as perceived.

Technical Writing for Engineers (01:350:xxx) used to be an upper level English dept. course at Rutgers required for all Industrial Eng majors and it probably should have been for all engineering school students. I took it in my junior year even though I was in Civil Eng (actually counted as a technical elective for me back then) because I thought it would help enhance my skillset. Some stuff I picked up in that class has helped me along the way in my career.

I would even suggest taking the class if not working this summer but my guess is that they likely don't offer it during summer session (he can always double check the course offerings if he's willing) due to limited demand/enrollment for the class.

 

[RUnTeX]

Most schools have cooperative education programs. Through the program, a student can obtain part-time or full-time employment during a semester or summer. Once employed, returning to the same employer is common, even rotating to different departments. You make $, network and establish connections, get experience, etc. Upon graduation, the coop student will very often be permanently employed by the same company. Or venture out, with invaluable experience.

Co-op can be a good approach. Cook/SEBS was the only academic unit at RU-NB back in the 90s with a semblance of an in-house co-op program but not sure how prevalent it was as many Cook students didn't even take advantage of it.

Not all co-ops yield fruitful results upon graduation and I'd be leery to pay full boat at somewhere like Northeastern or Drexel or similar and their sky high tuitions with an expectation of the co-op delivering a job offer.

 

[Knight Shift]

This, and.....

This.

@Scarlet Jerry
While I don't have any leads on summer internships, I would advocate your friend investigate technical writing opportunities in some fashion, as it's a logical intersection of the two interests/fields. It's probably not as right brain/left brain as perceived.

Technical Writing for Engineers (01:350:xxx) used to be an upper level English dept. course at Rutgers required for all Industrial Eng majors and it probably should have been for all engineering school students. I took it in my junior year even though I was in Civil Eng (actually counted as a technical elective for me back then) because I thought it would help enhance my skillset. Some stuff I picked up in that class has helped me along the way in my career.

I would even suggest taking the class if not working this summer but my guess is that they likely don't offer it during summer session (he can always double check the course offerings if he's willing) due to limited demand/enrollment for the class.

The one thing about patents, however, is that Industrial Engineering is a bit of an outlier for patents. Industrial Engineering degrees qualify to sit for the USPTO exam to become a registered patent agent (or attorney if the person has a law degree), but most practicing patent attorneys that do patent preparation have degrees in one of the hard sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology, computer science, or an engineering major such as electrical, mechanical, chemical, materials, or biomedical. That is in no way limiting--I know patent attorneys who have civil engineering degrees. But there is another side to being a patent attorney, litigation, which may be more interesting and generally, litigators are not limited to a particular technical discipline. Actually, there are many litigators who do not have a technical degree.

 

[RU205]

Yes, this sounds like a left brain/right brain request, but I know a college student who is double majoring in English and engineering at another Big 10 university (not one that we dislike). He is home for the summer in North Jersey, and is looking for a summer internship opportunity in the area, including NYC or remote work. His areas of interest include both writing and industrial engineering. This board has always been a useful resource for things like this in the off season, so any internship leads would be appreciated. Thanks.

Scarlet Jerry

Which one do we not Dislike? Northwestern???

 

[e5fdny]

Which one do we not Dislike? Northwestern???

They don’t like us.

 

[T2Kplus20]

the one thing I can say is he's really late in looking for a summer internship.

Never click on a link posted by this guy ^^^^^.

But he is 100% right on this topic. Way, way, way too late for any major company.

 

[RUfinally2008]

Agreed. I used to refer to internships as extended interviews, where each party got to see whether the other was worth investing a lot more in, i.e., full time employment. Interns definitely had a leg up on getting hired vs. people we only knew through interviews. Competition for the 2-3 internships I awarded to RU eng'g (mostly chem eng'g) students each year was pretty intense. I would do a full info night on campus with interested students (always had good turnouts - could have been the free pizza) and several Merck reps, including at least one former intern who could speak about the program better than I could, and then would typically interview about 15 candidates (after going through about 30-40 resumes) to get the top 2-3. The interns we hired worked at any one of several sites in NJ/PA and sometimes our factories in other locations; occasionally one worked in our department. Was a lot of work for me, too, but it was very rewarding work.

100 percent

 

[RUnTeX]

The one thing about patents, however, is that Industrial Engineering is a bit of an outlier for patents. Industrial Engineering degrees qualify to sit for the USPTO exam to become a registered patent agent (or attorney if the person has a law degree), but most practicing patent attorneys that do patent preparation have degrees in one of the hard sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology, computer science, or an engineering major such as electrical, mechanical, chemical, materials, or biomedical. That is in no way limiting--I know patent attorneys who have civil engineering degrees. But there is another side to being a patent attorney, litigation, which may be more interesting and generally, litigators are not limited to a particular technical discipline. Actually, there are many litigators who do not have a technical degree.

All makes sense. From my limited vantage point, EE/CompE/Biomed/Materials Science have been bigger feeders among engineering disciplines to career paths in patent law.

I suppose an interest in pursuing a legal career needs to be explored to begin with.

 

[Knight Shift]

All makes sense. From my limited vantage point, EE/CompE/Biomed/Materials Science have been bigger feeders among engineering disciplines to career paths in patent law.

I suppose an interest in pursuing a legal career needs to be explored to begin with.

That depends if one considers it "legal." Patents are really just an extension of technology/engineering where concepts that are considered patentable are written up and handled by patent agents and patent attorneys. Many corporations and law firms use patent agents who have not earned a law degree to handle patent application preparation and prosecution (going back and forth with the patent office). In nearly 30 years, I have been in a courtroom once or twice, and if I had to appear in court, I might to a worse job than My Cousin Vinnie.

I dabbled in litigation early in my career, but I decided I liked the controlled schedule and work flow of writing/filing patents, and I did not like the contentious nature of litigation. A lot of what we do is to put ourselves in the shoes of the inventors, and we try to not only capture the actual invention, but expand upon it where appropriate to obtain broader coverage. Not the most exciting job in the world, but it is steady work that provides interesting stuff to learn if you like technology, and as a bonus, it pays fairly well. But the same advice I gave to my kids is that never choose a career because of the high pay.

 

[Scarlet Jerry]

I always said that the most valuable class that I took at Rutgers was Technical Writing, and that’s coming from a psych major who graduated in the 80’s and became a tech director at a school district. That class helped me I so many ways, and even changed the way I do presentations.

Scarlet Jerry

 

[iReC89]

If he is still looking and willing to travel to Englishtown we could probably use someone over the summer for a few projects in the hopper.

 

[Scarlet Jerry]

If he is still looking and willing to travel to Englishtown we could probably use someone over the summer for a few projects in the hopper.

I appreciate the response- he is still looking, but he lives in Bergen County, so Englishtown might be a trek if he had to drive there every day. I will ask, though. Thank you for reaching out. I really appreciate it.

Scarlet Jerry

 

[rubaseball78]

Contact me. I may have something located in Parsippany but can be hybrid office/remote.

 

[Scarlet Jerry]

Contact me. I may have something located in Parsippany but can be hybrid office/remote.

Thank you for reaching out @rubaseball78 Please let me know the best way to contact you.

‘Scarlet Jerry

 

[rubaseball78]

Thank you for reaching out @rubaseball78 Please let me know the best way to contact you.

‘Scarlet Jerry

Sent you a message through the conversation feature.