Today we’re celebrating National Intern Day!
Meet Ingrid Soracco, Manufacturing Engineering Intern in Jacksonville, FL, and Julia Huning, Operations Engineering Intern in Washington, MO, who have been gaining lots of valuable experience during their time at CSC:
INGRID SORACCO:
Manufacturing Engineering Intern, Jacksonville, FL
How has your internship experience with CSC been?
I find my internship with CSC to be a completely different experience than any other work or education I have completed. It has given me firsthand experience in manufacturing engineering through time studies, data analysis, and electronic systems (red tag automation), while also allowing me the opportunity to try my hand at welding and ask all individuals who work here about their careers. Communication at CSC has surpassed all my expectations – I have been able to talk with individuals from branches all over the nation for both advice and general conversations.
What’s your favorite project that you’ve worked on while with CSC?
My favorite project has to be my first time study where I timed the line three weld pit and looked for inefficiencies. The project, which now would have taken me about a day or two to complete, took me over a week. I learned so much about the floor layout and general process of making a joist over the course of that week as to where it has impacted how I have tackled every project since. Luckily, the pace of this internship allowed me to take that time to learn without falling behind.
What is something that surprised you about your work at CSC?
I am surprised about how much of a community there is at CSC. My previous work experiences had community, but it always took a sideline to work. Here at CSC, the presence is felt within the process without sacrificing efficiency. I expected not to have many people to talk to due to my inexperience and short amount of time being an employee, but I am very happy to say I was wrong. Everyone at CSC plays a significant role in the production process and I consider myself to be lucky to contribute to the success of the people around me here.
What advice would you give a student interested in a career in this industry?
The best advice I can give is to work for it. CSC has been very rewarding as every time I work and complete a project I am able to understand more about the industry. Though I greatly value my education, many of the roles I have encountered as an intern require wisdom that only comes from hard work and experience. I come from a public high school that introduced me to many trades and the construction industry, and a college that has taught me how to get the types of roles that I want. However, the skills that I am building and see others around me possessing at CSC are best learned through practice. Any experience is valuable, and I highly recommend this experience to anyone interested in working in manufacturing engineering or the steel industry.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your internship experience?
I would like to share something to any future CSC interns: ask every question you can think of. This is a very short experience, and the more questions you ask, the more you will retain. I asked many questions over the first week and still struggled with my first time study – every question matters and everyone who I have asked has enthusiastically answered me.
JULIA HUNING
Operations Engineering Intern, Washington, MO
My favorite project so far has been investigating ways to improve the operation of an angle line machine. I’ve been given a lot of freedom with this project, which has been a wonderful opportunity for learning and gaining experience leading a project. I’ve really enjoyed collaborating with experienced members of the maintenance team and the machine’s operator to apply my research for improvements. It also has been fun applying investigation techniques from my forensic engineering research class and problem solving.
I was surprised by how many other disciplines went into the work I did, so I found collaborating with different departments was very crucial. For my investigation especially, gathering as much information from different departments with different perspectives was helpful.
I recommend finding a skill set you are passionate about, for instance I enjoy problem-solving, and exploring what careers within this industry would allow you to develop and explore that skill set. Internships are a great gateway for exploration, and networking can get you valuable insight.
CSC is honored to train the next generation of engineers and more! If you or someone you know is interested in an internship with CSC, please contact us!
