Semester 1 At Medallion
Fred
Experience Information
Employer: Medallion Instrumentation Systems
Job Title: Program Management Co-op
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Medallion make instrumentation, gauges, and sensors for use in non-automotive applications. This means that Medallion products are used in heavy trucks, ATV's, boats, and military vehicles. Medallion is a relatively small company and is based out of Spring Lake Michigan.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
I worked as a Program Management Co-op, which means most of my tasks were organizational in nature with some light design work on the side. Currently my tasks include maintaining and improving the change review process used to track changes in our products. In the past I have also been involved in several projects to write performance specifications. This means that I had to get well acquainted with the minutia of a product (Electrical, Mechanical, and Software design) in order to properly specify how the product should behave. I have also been involved in creating new lines of products both by altering an existing product to new needs and creating a product from bare ideas. This involved looking over not only the technical details but the organizational details such as sales forecasts and labor planning.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
Most of the skills I gained from this experience are related to the particular way things are done at Medallion. I have had a chance to brush up on my programming skills (And learn a new programming language besides) and I now know more about how an engineering company operates.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of this co-op is that I have the opportunity to do many different things instead of the same set of tasks ad nauseam. Any day I could be inspecting a production line, reprogramming an application, collecting test data (by breaking things), or working on a new product. I have also been given a great deal of autonomy to decide what I will be working on at a given time.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
The main way in which this experience has influenced my future career goals is to give me a potential company in which to accomplish them. I will be working part-time for Medallion throughout the school year and if possible I plan to continue my education after I get my degree whilst working there.