Vacation Student (Mechanical Engineer) Review

I enjoyed working at ARUP because I was able to work on a variety of projects, in a very comfortable environment and felt both challenged and competent for each task. One of these tasks, automation-related, was so enjoyable for me that it has allowed me to figure out what kind of work I would like to do after graduation.

I felt very respected during my time there, if I ever had any questions I felt I could ask anyone and they would help without any hint of condescension. I was invited to a variety of meetings and was spoken to as an equal during work and for social events.

I felt that any input I had to give for my work was valued and any feedback was clear and helpful. Anything that I didn't understand was explained to me from the basics so that regardless of my background I was able to understand it.

As I had multiple projects to work on, I was usually able to move form one task to another if I found myself waiting on feedback or replies, and as my automation task was somewhat personal, I could work on it continually to improve it if I had finished my other tasks. I never felt that I was too busy and felt that others would help me if I were in that state. During times when there was little work, I would have been able to help others with their tasks or do e-learning modules to make good use of my time.

I felt that the tasks I was given were relevant, and the work I had was actively been looked at. Some of the projects had upcoming deadlines and I was given a reasonable amount of responsibility to complete my work. For my automation task, I was thinking for myself to problem solve and understand the work process as necessary, although I was always able to ask for help if I felt I needed it.

Not only did I learn a great deal more about the software, processes, and thought processes that are used in industry in my field, but I have managed to find the exact task in the workplace that I would like to do. This has given me a great deal of confidence, and will allow me to improve my skills for my final year of study to improve my final grade as well as my future employment potential. This is something that I haven't seen in many other companies who many not provide as great a variety of tasks to work on.

It was very calm and professional. I didn't feel out of place, everyone there was very friendly and it was always comfortable in terms of temperature and light. I felt like by the end of the placement I could easily have a conversation with most people, even as someone who is typically somewhat shy.

It was relatively well organised, I was introduced to the tasks I would be working on early in the internship and was able to ask for other types of tasks if I wanted more variety.

The majority of training I received was for help during tasks as required, for which others would spend time checking or asking how I completed various tasks to ensure I did them correctly, and would help me if necessary. I had went out to a different office and also joined several conference calls for training and personally did some studying in my own time too.

I've been told that there are definitely opportunities for work, depending on openings available, where I am happy to work and the future political climate.

The graduates there seemed to know each other and we went out for drinks or lunch a couple of times, even though we are all parts of different teams.

The cost of living and socialising are typical of the area, and lunch was easily affordable.

The office was somewhat far from the city centre so there wasn't too much nightlife.

There were many emails about events of all types, including sports, arts, food and drink. These were all quite regular and open to everyone.