Mechanical Engineering Co-op term 1: BISSELL
Tony
Experience Information
Employer: BISSELL Homecare, Inc.
Job Title: Co-op Student, Product Attributes
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
BISSELL Homecare, Inc. is one of the biggest names in the floorcare industry, and its headquarters is just a few minutes from the GVSU downtown campus. The headquarters has over 300 employees, including over 80 engineers, and typically between 6-10 co-ops/interns.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
I worked in product attributes, which meant I was given many different tasks from many different engineers. This was nice from an experience gaining standpoint, because it meant that I got a fairly broad taste of the industry fairly quickly. I did a decent amount of work in Pro-E and ANSYS, and spent a lot of time running tests and helping out with different design projects.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I got much better at CAD, and gained a general sense of how a company operates, from an engineering perspective. I didn't gain a ton of technical knowledge, but I learned how an idea goes from its initial birth to production, which for me, at least, helped a lot.
Favorite Part of the Experience
The people I worked with were fantastic. The team I was on consisted of some of the nicest, smartest people I've ever been around. The building was a very comfortable work environment, as well. It was easily the nicest of the places I toured.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
With all the engineering being done in-house here it has given me a nice taste of the different directions I could go with my career. It's tough to say yet how its influenced my long-term goals, having only been in industry for three months now. It'd be nice if I had experience at a different engineering company to compare it to-- especially one that does contracted work, for comparison.