I was an intern here at SEL during my college career. They put so much emphasis on taking care of their employees and providing you with a happy and safe work environment. If I could have stayed on full time after the end of my internship, I definitely would have!
What I wish was different
There are 90 days after you graduate that you are allowed to be an intern. I waited almost 80 of them for someone to tell me the position they were trying to open for me was not approved. I felt incredibly lead on by this and wish they had handled it better and told me way earlier so I could cut my losses and start applying for a post-graduation job much sooner.
Advice
SEL is a really great place to work and they truly care about their employees and the work that they do, but there are not many mechanical positions within the company, so I recommend ME's go somewhere else for their internship that has many more opportunities for them.
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Engineering Intern
September 2021 - March 2022 • King of Prussia, PA
What I liked
You get very engage in the work and are given many different opportunities.
What I wish was different
More hybrid or work from home opportunities during Covid
Advice
Always ask questions and never be afraid to ask for new experiences or work.
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Purchasing Intern
February 2021 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
Very friendly and value oriented
What I wish was different
Nothing! Very flexible and nice people
Advice
Make sure to work on Friday’s because you get free lunch!
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Application Engineer
January - July 2020 • Fair Oaks Ranch, TX
What I liked
I learned a lot about power protection. SEL hosts a variety of workshops on relay products and general power protection that I was able to audit for free.
What I wish was different
I wish there was more of an online opportunity. I had to cut my internship short due to COVID-19.
Advice
Ask plenty of questions and apply to jobs you may not be 100% qualified for.
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Hardware Engineering Intern
February 2018 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
I love working in Research and Development and the very handsome on role I've had with projects.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Engineering Intern
January 2018 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
Extremely helpful mentors, everyone I've met has been eager to teach me.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Firmware and RTL Engineer
May 2017 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
It's a very open and constructive environment. I get to do real work for a real project in which I have a real impact.
What I wish was different
Sometimes there is little organization in the way of delegated work, you have to structure yourself and your time to meet abstract goals just as you would in a real job. Beginning here I was really lost on this point, but I eventually caught on.
Advice
Internships in any R&D department is what you make of it. Seek out new projects and try new things, failure is just another step to success.
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Software Engineering Intern
May 2018 - August 2019 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
The company has amazing values and amazing products.
What I wish was different
SEL is not a software focused company, so they often have/had electrical engineers trying to make software engineering decisions and it doesn't always work out.
Advice
Only apply to SEL if you are looking for a year-long internship
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Human Resources Intern
May 2019 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
I love everything about my current role. I am getting a lot of good experience that will be beneficial to the career path I'm pursuing.
What I wish was different
It's an ongoing internship with a lot of opportunities, so there aren't currently any areas in which I feel limited. I wouldn't change a thing!
Advice
Apply to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories! It's an awesome place to work.
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Engineering Intern
April - September 2019 • King of Prussia, PA
What I liked
Positive office environment and community, and interesting work.
What I wish was different
More diverse job responsibilities.
Advice
Always be punctual and put full effort into every task.
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Purchasing Intern
January - August 2019 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
The team I worked with was so helpful and passionate about what they do. It made it so fun and easy to work there. Plus the employees at SEL are all so respectful so it was easy to have good customer service.
What I wish was different
I wish I had been able to branch out a little more to other departments.
Advice
Such good experience for someone looking into the supply chain industry. I learned so much about how a business works and what factors really matter in purchasing products for a company.
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Project Coordinating Intern
December 2018 - October 2019 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
Good experience learning Excel in a highly professional environment.
What I wish was different
Assisting project managers was often monotonous repetitive.
Advice
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Engineering Intern
January 2019 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
I enjoyed the freedom they gave me in completing my work. I do not like to be micromanaged and that was not at all my experience so I was happy. I also enjoyed the faith they had in me to complete the tasks given, as well as their willingness to teach.
What I wish was different
I wish I had asked to work with a variety of other engineers earlier in my internship. It has been great working under one specific engineer for the majority of my internship but it would have been nice to have different mentors and work closely with more people in my department. This would have helped increase my network.
Advice
Try to receive work from as much different people as you can. This will help you build relationships with more than just a few individuals in your department. This can be helpful for a variety of reasons, such as receiving great reviews from MULTIPLE sources, giving your work more credibility.
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Engineering Intern
March 2019 • Lutz, FL
What I liked
The company is clearly focused on its values (such as quality) and cares about its interns. They send them to Washington to learn about the company and are dedicated to their success.
What I wish was different
I wish I had more protection knowledge going into the field and better understood what I would be doing.
Advice
Don't be afraid to try new things and learn new methods to be efficient, and share it with others to help them as well.
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software technician
April 2019 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
It is a community, their vision aligns with mine
What I wish was different
pay
Advice
Don't restrict yourself. Aim for it and make an attempt.
A year ago, a job title of Software Technician would give me chills probably because I would just assume it will be too difficult to achieve. Now I have my eyes set on my next target. Fearlessly!
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Wave Solder Operator
January - October 2017 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
I worked the swing shift, and it really helped my schedule. I was able to make good money, and balance classes and family in the morning, before going to work at 3 in the afternoon. It is an amazing company to work for and you really do feel taken care of as an employee. A great place to start off, if I had a chance to do it over again, I would have started at SEL right out of high school.
What I wish was different
They really like you to put in your time before trying to move up. There is a high turnover rate working on the floor, so they like keeping their seasoned and experienced workers there. I interviewed for a position in a department with a different colored collar and was told "I hear you're doing a great job down here on the floor, your supervisor doesn't want to lose you."
Advice
You kind of have to find your own groove, the work can be repetitive and a bit mind-numbing at times but it's cool to be a part of something bigger. When Hurricane Harvey hit, we had a lot of rush components that were going into equipment that was being used in Houston. So it's rewarding knowing you are actually helping.
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Software Engineering Intern
July - September 2018 • Lynnwood, WA
What I liked
Worked on a experimental project that was part of a soon to be released product for the company, their next big thing, which was exciting and motivating. I learned many new technologies which built my resume and prepared me for following internships.
What I wish was different
It was kind of painful working with the existing code base, especially since they were horrible about creating and managing documentation and I was at a satellite branch so I had to communicate via IM with coworkers instead of in person. My boss mostly worked remotely so it was more difficult to get feedback sometimes. Also culture was boring, I wish I had worked harder to find an internship that fit my personality and style.
Advice
Take internships as seriously as possible. I mostly did it as a resume builder, but I could have been more productive and learned more if I had been willing to plan things out including projects, meet and talk to coworkers, and find out more about the company. Also get involved in any events or anything else going on.
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Finance Intern
March 2018 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
This job assigns you a lot of responsibilities. It's important to learn your processes and be able to do them well. You will be busy and this job will stretch your abilities and force you to grow and adapt. I've learned so much while here and it's truly helped to develop me as a professional.
What I wish was different
It would have been nice to have an opportunity to travel. I work and study in Pullman at WSU, but SEL is a global company with field offices all across the US and in around 50 countries. Many of my coworkers travel often but unfortunately that is not an opportunity granted to interns as of now.
Advice
Most managers are open minded to your thoughts and opinions on process improvement. If you have an opinion on how something could be done better or more efficiently, share it!
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Firmware Engineer
May 2017 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
Lots of freedom to solve and tackle problems. Lots of autonomy.
What I wish was different
The lack of structure really means that you're on your own for solving problems as they arise.
Advice
Set and maintain reachable goals. Without this it's supper easy to loose yourself in a project in a bad way.
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Human Resources Intern
May 2017 - June 2018 • Pullman, WA
What I liked
Lots of good experience working in a large company