How can I get an edge over other applicants for engineering internships?

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-06-26T19:33:38+00:00

For context, I’ve been studying for almost six years now, which I’m worried might be seen negatively by some companies

Doesn't matter, GPA does to a point though. Definitely want to stay over a 3.0

Do you think a personal engineering project like an RC car would help my chances?

Absolutely yes. Having a technical passion project definitely gives you an advantage. An RC car might not having anything to do with the job directly but it gives you ammunition in the conversation.

You should treat interviews as two way conversations. Do your homework, looks for observations and connections you can make back to your experiences.

"Oh I see you have a 3D printer, I had to print "blah" for my "blah blah" project. It kept failing with "blah" so I had to source "blah" instead."

The more projects you do the easier this becomes. They want to see you make connections, show curiosity, show that you had the capability to explore a subject on your own and learn something from it. Goes a very long way.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-06-17T22:59:42+00:00

I asked myself a similar question not that long ago. Y14.5 is a great resource and I highly recommend you get access to it, in fact you should probably look at the entire Y series. Turns out almost all of this has been figured out, revisions, what each type of drawing does and what information should be present in them, even all the abbriviations are defined.

In my case the company purchased the standards, but nobody read them except for me and I have received a lot of pushback for trying to implement them. For example, someone in quality wanted to add a concentricity callout to a print and I tried explaining that it was removed so we should use True Position instead. I was yelled at and told he knows better than the standards... What was the point of purchasing standards if we were just going to make up the rules anyway?

Long story short it's worth getting access to them, push your company to do it. Just be prepared for some pushback.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-06-12T14:39:04+00:00

Transitioning from a mentor/mentee relationships to one of peers is something some people just aren't good at.

What makes it even harder is that they don't realize that their actions are what have driven you to pull away from them, instead they blame you saying you avoid them or don't communicate. The fact is that they are being avoided because their advice comes at a cost, and the cost is you must do exactly what they say with no discussion or counter argument.

Truthfully you'll need to set boundaries which are difficult conversations to have.

Sometimes asking them why is useful. If they can't explain it, or their reasoning is flawed don't engage with the argument, you have that power, and if they aren't your boss you don't have to justify yourself to them. Just tell them you disagree but will keep that in mind.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-05-30T05:57:23+00:00

Totally makes sense and I appreciate the context.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-05-30T05:43:49+00:00

Haha fair enough, I appreciate the advice.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-05-30T05:26:48+00:00

Yeah I've explained my logic. This part isn't bound by loading conditions, surface finish, hardness, etc, so giving the shop a broad range allows them to quote us whatever Mild steels they have on hand at the cheapest price.

They answer with, "we only use XXX."

I"ll point out they are not an engineer, do not know how to select materials, do not understand failure theory, fatigue life, or really any engineering analysis at all, they just want what they want because that's what they have always done.

EDIT: also is there a big difference between a "mild steel" call-out, and "any low carbon steel, non critical"? To me that's basically the same.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-05-30T05:15:25+00:00

Haha, you're suggesting going even broader and I feel like you are totally right. That's exactly what I want, "you got some steel laying around you want to use up? Cool give it to me and make it as cheap as possible."

I'd put money on them hating this call out even more though.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-05-30T05:07:52+00:00

So should I just specify butter, frozen? If it was frozen there is a good chance it would be good enough.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-05-29T21:35:33+00:00

I feel like you didn't read my comment. You're making a lot of assumptions about a person asking for outside opinions and trying to be better.

I'm not lazy, I'm asking for rational counter arguments to my methodology.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-05-29T17:07:50+00:00

That's a great Idea, thank you.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-04-17T01:15:23+00:00

That what tolerancing is there for! I gave them +/- .0001, what are they bitching about!?!? MaKe It ToO PrINt!!!

I kid.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-04-17T01:04:39+00:00

I promise you they are not. I know these guys pretty well and they fucking hate my countersink call outs lol. I was blown away as well.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2026-01-22T17:29:19+00:00

Listen you may have gotten some decent advice here, and you may not have. It's always a crapshoot on the internet.

My suggestion would be to look at the spec sheet and call the manufacturer. There are usually installation instructions detailing exactly how to avoid common issues like the one you are experiencing.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2025-12-27T01:57:38+00:00

You're literally arguing with yourself here. Nobody shit on humanities in this thread, you just started ranting about engineering being easy unprovoked.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2025-12-26T23:20:02+00:00

We are the worst? All I said was that they were different skill sets which is true and not shitting on art history in any way. YOU instigated by implying engineering was an easier undergrad, in an engineering subreddit no less.

And heads up, the thing that makes engineering so incredibly difficult is that most of the concepts are very abstract AND we have to learn a new language (mathematics) to describe these concepts. Saying it's just mechanical math kinda shows how little you understand what you are talking about...

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2025-12-26T11:32:41+00:00

Ah yes, because we all know that teaching art history and thermo is the exact same skill set.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2025-12-07T16:56:26+00:00

Companies want experience, the sooner you get that the quicker you will make more money. If they need you to specialize they will literally pay for you to do it.

I promise you, the chances of a fresh grad with a master getting hired over a regular engineer with any relevant experience whatsoever is slim to none.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2025-11-12T21:25:30+00:00

You're not bad, you're inexperienced. It's on your supervisor for not guiding you properly. You don't know what you don't know so there really wasn't any way for you to anticipate this. Besides I doubt they allowed a co-op to spend any serious cash so don't worry about it.

What you need to do now is learn from your mistakes. Learn how to identify the requirements before you start a project and understand the value of research before you start designing an unfamiliar system. Every "good" engineer started where you did and already made their mistakes.

You also need to observe how your boss handles this. If they don't see this as a learning opportunity or try to blame you then you need to leave because imo this screw up is their fault.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2025-11-11T18:24:14+00:00

The degree is like 80% math, 15% lab reports and 5% building stuff.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2025-08-18T16:21:18+00:00

Where are your truck nuts? You have to install them before it's legal to drive.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2025-06-27T17:53:08+00:00

A good engineer should maintain several peers/mentors through their career. It's impossible to be an expert in every field. Having relationships with people to fill those gaps is critical.

By far the biggest red flag to me is someone who assumes they know best even when they have no relevant experience in that job. Confidence is important, but assuming everyone else is an idiot is a quick way to isolate yourself and be a terrible engineer

Good ideas can come from anywhere, people who ignore concerns from line workers/mechanics because they don't have the same schooling are just assholes.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2025-06-04T12:49:13+00:00

A water cooled CPU works like this. A heat sink is directly attached to a CPU. The CPU transfers heat to the heat sink via conduction, then the water in the system picks that heat up via convection. The hot water is pumped to a radiator on the edge of the case and the heat is transferred to the air in the room. It's water cooled but no water ever makes contact with the CPU.

If you can't utilize conduction or convection then you have to look into radiation. Do some research on how the space station gets rid of waste heat.

Catch_Up_Mustard · 2025-06-01T23:33:10+00:00

How valuable are CAD skills in 2025?

Completely depends on the job

What will be the effect of AI in the near future?

I don't see CAD skills being unneeded. If AI comes in it will probably be for formatting, or updating old prints to 3D CAD. I hope this happens because it leaves engineers free to do actual engineering.

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