<p>I will hopefully be landing an aerospace engineering internship within the next couple of years and was wondering what type of skills I need to have in order to be a successful intern. Multiple people have told me that the skills taught in the classroom (engineering mechanics, advanced math, etc.) are seldom used in industry. This makes me feel like I need separate training on top of my education to prepare for internships. So, what skills would I need to have in order to work as a beginner engineer or intern for an aerospace company?</p>
<p>Would you recommend learning a programming language like C++ or MATLAB? Am I expected to know how to write codes? Do I need to know analysis and/or design software (SolidWorks, AutoCAD, NASTRAN)?</p>
<p>Any advice for students who’ve already had internships or worked as an engineer would be appreciated. </p>
<p>General problem solving and team skills are the basic requirement for any engineering internship. Most employers recognize that the internship will be a big learning assignment with often times a steep learning curve for the student, so I wouldn’t worry to much about being unprepared. Initiative and eagerness to excel will take you a long way as an intern.</p>
<p>In the aerospace industry specifically, analysis tools are often taught to you rather than being a basic requirement for the internship. Learning Matlab, Fortran, and C++ will put you at a leg up in the competition, and are tools used in most aerospace fields… so start looking at learning them.</p>
<p>I think the most important skills are non-technical. I was talking to a rep from an O&G major and he said he has had interns that have lost full-time offers for things like showing up late consistently and taking long lunches.</p>
<p>Show up on time, with a good attitude and I think everything else will fall into place. It is the companies job to make sure you are technically qualified for job.</p>
<p>I have to agree with the above posters. The best thing you can do as an intern is to demonstrate enthusiasm, soft skills like time-management and organization, and a good attitude. </p>
<p>Any boss/employer worth their salt will recognize that interns have a lot to learn and will put effort into training them. As an intern you’ll have to hold up your end of the bargain, which is to learn as much as you can (and contribute some real work, even if it doesn’t seem like much, whenever you can). You will far outshine interns who are late to meetings, take long lunches, etc. </p>
<p>Depending on your job, you could end up using a lot of what you’ve learned in school.</p>