Engineering Experience: Learning outside the Classroom

Engineering Experience: Learning outside the Classroom

http://www.toeflaccess.com/articles/ETS/archive/us/study/engineering_outside.html

by Sarah Spears

As an engineering major at a U.S. college or university, you may have the chance to gain real-world work experience (and get paid for it) while completing your degree.

Most engineering programs in the United States offer a program called co-op, which allows you to spend several months working for a business in your field of study. For some schools co-op is a requirement to graduate with an engineering degree, which can extend the amount of time it takes to earn the degree.

While the U.S. government places restrictions on when and where international students can work, co-op programs fall under the approved category of Curricular Practical Training. “Students who are on F-1 visas may still participate in co-op programs and semester internships,” says Jeff Beavers, assistant dean and director of Engineering Career Services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, “as long as they maintain their full-time student status at the institution at which they are enrolled and as long as the experience relates to their degree program.” The staff at UIUC has plenty of experience in dealing with issues like this; the university enrolled 5,560 international students in the 2004–2005 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors report.

Co-op jobs usually last the length of an academic term (either semester or quarter), and engineering students may complete several co-op terms, either with the same company or with several different organizations. At some schools, such as the University of Cincinnati (which is recognized as the creator of co-op, starting its program in 1906), engineering students spend 40 percent of their time as an undergraduate working in a co-op position. This time on the job allows students to apply what they have learned in class to practical daily problems and projects.

At UIUC, participation in the co-op program is optional, but encouraged. “Within just the past year, our engineering and computer science co-op students have been involved in many large-scale projects, including such assignments as designing a new shock-absorbing tennis racquet for a major sporting goods company…and testing the design and function of a new high-performance automobile for a large U.S. auto manufacturer,” says Beavers.

If co-op is available at your chosen school, take advantage of the opportunity. You'll be able to hone your technical skills while learning basic on-the-job skills such as teamwork, organization, and working under deadlines. You will also meet real working engineers, people who can teach you now and who may be able to help you find a job after you graduate.