GVSU PDM Engineering Co-op with Haworth
Emily
Experience Information
Employer: Haworth
Job Title: Product Engineering Co-op
Major: Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Haworth is a large-scale global company that feels like a small company. No matter your position in the company, everyone has the opportunity to interact with members in all sorts of professions in order to do your job to the best of your ability. My position through-out co-oping has been quite different from the first to the second rotation. The first rotation I worked day-to-day with other interns the majority of the time, whereas during my second rotation I was the only intern at the company. Both these dynamics were good so I could learn to use my peers for help, and then also be independent and figure things out on my own. Overall, the organization of Haworth is very well managed and since my first day, I have always been encouraged by both my manager and members who I have interacted with only a handful of times to always reach out for help or new projects.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
One of my most favorite things about working for Haworth is the large range of projects, both in time span and complexity. There is always filler work to do whether it's updating CAD files, or costing products in the system, or progressing through the stages of changing a product that's already in production. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to work on projects that have lasted several months. A lot of these projects have pertained to looking into the future and analyzing trends in order to brainstorm and cost products that may be popular in a few years from now. These projects are always incredibly interesting because you have to interact with so many different people in order to get enough input and questions answered so that you can justify your decision making. Lastly, there are projects that fit in between the long term and short term time span, but are just as important. For example, sometimes customers receive orders that are incorrect and you have to diagnose the problem, fix it, and go through a lot of other steps under a specific time limit depending on the demand for that product. If you are looking for an internship with a broad range of projects, Haworth does an excellent job providing exactly that.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
Haworth has bettered a lot of my engineering and design abilities. I have gained a lot of experience designing on CAD as well as performing some analyses and other measurements. The majority of my projects rely on Excel, so I have definitely grown more comfortable with my Excel skills throughout this process. There are other company-specific skills I have had the pleasure to learn like becoming familiar with Haworth's systems or Catalogs. Perhaps my favorite piece of knowledge I have gained from working with Haworth is being able to locate products within our catalogs and create theoretical orders in the same manner a customer would. Lastly, I think one of the most important skills I have learned and am still working on is the ability to be persistent. Building relationships is a huge part of doing your job well, and it's not as easy to imagine until you are actually doing the job. My manager is incredible at encouraging me to reach out to people both to make sure I'm getting enough work, and to push others when I need things done for my projects. I truly feel that the projects I have been most successful on are the ones where I am taking the imitative to reach out for help or knowledge from others.
Favorite Part of the Experience
The best part of my co-op experience with Haworth is that the job turned out to be exactly what I had hoped for. When it came to applying for co-ops in my third year, there were many places I had interviewed that I knew I wouldn't be happy at. As soon as I learned that Haworth had engineering co-ops I knew I didn't want to work anywhere else. Haworth is the perfect intersection between design and engineering. The projects are fun, but also require a lot of hard work and trial and error. Even the busy work is interesting because it usually is still teaching me something I didn't know before. The creative aspect that came along with this engineering position was exactly what I was looking for. I would encourage any engineer who has a love for interior design and architecture and is looking for a co-op with large project variety and challenges to take advantage of this internship.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
Before I started working for Haworth, I was still hesitant on whether engineering was the right major for me. I was worried that I had picked a field that wouldn't allow me to be creative as much as I would like to be. Both through the projects and the people, I have learned that I made the right decision. I have met people who have started off at Haworth in a completely different position than where they are now. The members of Haworth are GREAT at supporting you to do what's best for you. From my very first week I was honest with my manager that I was leaning more toward an interior design job rather than just product engineering, and he has put in the effort to give me projects that lean more toward what interests me, but still pertain to engineering. Although I have only worked with the company for less than a year at this point, I am incredibly grateful and appreciative of the opportunity and the people around me who have worked hard to make this experience what it has been. If I am lucky enough to work at Haworth after I graduate, I could see myself moving throughout the company and possibly away from engineering, but regardless I know I would end up somewhere where I love what I do, and makes the largest impact on the company.
Internship Format
Remote/Virtual