- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Company: Entrans Internation, The Tranzonic Companies, Southern Company
- Graduation Year: May 2022
- E-mail: myoungin@vols.utk.edu
Profile
Nolensville, Tennessee
I did my primary co-op with Southern Company- Georgia Power; they are known for energy generation. I did three rotations starting in the summer of 2019 and ending this past spring of 2021. I was a project engineer and was able to entirely take over the condensate, feedwater, and service water systems my last rotation. My projects included replacing a condensate pipe (20" diameter, 160' long), upgrading our condenser cleaning system while replacing key components of the condenser, and a few other smaller projects along the way.
I wanted to dive into a role completely and absorb as much as I could. By doing a co-op, the rotation between work and classes allowed for a better understanding both in the workplace and school-wise. I loved getting the chance to become part of the company and see projects come to life over time. On my last rotation, my mentor was on maternity leave, which allowed me to fully step into her role. Unfortunately, by the time I got on-site, we had one month until our big outage where we implement our projects. This meant I had one month to learn as much as I could, speak to vendors, get drawings organized and updated, check on equipment, and communicate effectively with our contractors to make sure we were ready to go. Having this quick change over while having very limited access to the person who has been working on this project was a challenge but so rewarding. I learned so much about engineering and myself through this process, and would do it all over again if given the opportunity. This helped me grow in my ability to adapt, deal with ambiguity, and communicate effectively. I feel all of these skills are vital to engineering but also life as a whole and will continue to develop them.
Overall, participating in a co-op really exposed me to what makes a great engineer. I was able to celebrate successes and learn from failures. I was also able to witness effective disagreements and how to handle tough situations. There are so many skills to observe and retain from other engineers. Getting to dive into a position surrounded by others succeeding at a job that I wanted to do in the future provided an outlook on things I want to work on and keep up as a future engineer.
Internships are awesome, but co-ops allow you to get past the exciting stage of a job and explore what the position really holds. I would recommend participating in a co-op to everyone because it allows you to explore and develop before jumping into the work force. The amount of knowledge obtained from my three rotations is something I will always be grateful for and have already seen benefits come in future positions.
In my spare time, I love to hike around Knoxville and explore. Traveling is something I have always been passionate about and am hoping to continue pursing heavily within the next few years. I have a three-year-old dog who takes up a lot of my attention but love spending time with friends as well.
Pro Tip: I've really enjoyed all of the positions I've held and I find so much value in putting yourself out there. Starting as a marketing major, I wasn't sure which route I wanted to go with, engineering-wise, but I have been able to explore design, efficiency, and project roles to determine what I want to do in the future.