Johnson Electric

Engineering Co-Op

January - August 2023 • Vandalia, OH

What I liked

Working at Johnson Electric has been a very rewarding experience. Since day one, I have been involved with meaningful projects in the warehouse automation industry. In addition to working with great mentors and engineers I was also tasked with my own projects. My favorite so far has been designing and building a conveyor system for our facility. During my second work term with Johnson Electric, I was given responsibility of projects more directly related to the goals of my team. I was able to complete work that directly contributed to the team's performance. I was also able to utilize skills learned in the classroom and leverage new technologies to benefit the entire company.

What I wish was different

There are few things that I wish had been different while working at Johnson Electric. I joined the company during the early stages of a major project launch. It was good experience to see how professional engineers plan and organize their projects, however during this time my role was not specifically defined on the team. I think it would have been more beneficial for me to join the team a little later in the project so that I could meaningfully contribute as soon as I was hired. During my second work term I was forced to work remotely due to personal reasons. I would not recommend doing this in the engineering industry. I think that I missed out on being in the office atmosphere and having a hands-on component with my work. Johnson Electric was very understanding and flexible with me working from home, but I think one of their main strengths is the culture they have within their office.

Advice

I would recommend that students going through their co-op cycles try different areas of engineering each time. In my previous co-op I gained experience in manufacturing and quality engineering. During my experience at Johnson Electric, I have gained experience in design engineering. I think that working in different roles will help students discover what they are passionate about within engineering. I would also recommend leveraging your skillset and experiences in the workplace. Chances are that a fair amount of your coworkers will be significantly older than you as a co-op. While they may have learned the same content while studying engineering, they might not have the same experience as you with new technologies. During my co-op I made myself valuable to my team by applying my coding experience to our project. I would recommend finding ways to apply your unique strengths to your co-op experience.

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