Getting an Engineering Internship

Any idea what kind of mechanical engineering you'd like to get in to or is the internship kind of your exploration to see which way you want to go with it?  I graduated about 10 years ago and out of my close half a dozen friends I graduated with (All mech engs) we all work in totally different fields.  Myself HVAC, another robotics, another for Raytheon and missile defense, another medical devices).  One of the best parts, IMO, about mechanical engineering is that there is such a broad spectrum you can cover with it.  If you have a passion for something (cars, electronics, whatever) maybe gear yourself towards that.  I worked in the HVAC field before college and did two official work-studies while in college (HVAC related) and actually worked at the same place all throughout school, and besides giving me income to pay off my classes it was a great experience and got an offer to work there after I graduated but took a year off and moved to Colorado to snowboard for a year and pursue my dreams of not starting a real life yet.  I know over my last 2 years of classes it got more specific towards certain things.  I took more fluids, heat transfer, etc than I did advanced strengths, design, etc because I knew I had more of an interest in that regard.

I've also done some recruiting for my present company at the college fair that my old college hosts every year, mainly hiring interns and such since that was how I started.  I'll be honest, even for interns, we looked at people with experience in our current field first, then we looked towards those that made a good first impression at the college fair and others that had well put together resumes.  Another big thing was what clubs and activities you did in school.  It sounds lame but showing your future employer that you are a team player and do things beyond just pass the tests is something that is looked at.

My dream job would be to work with a company like Raytheon, as mentioned earlier. I am a veteran and one of my passions is of course the Army. I have been looking at trying to intern with Northrop Grumman, since they deal in defense but am also looking at companies that deal with renewable energy. This is only my second semester at my current University, but am only three semesters away from graduating. So I only have this summer and possibly next summer to intern for different companies, which gives me a chance to try two different fields.

Does anybody happen to know of any companies in the Chicago area that deal with renewable energy? I know it is as simple as a google search but firsthand knowledge is preferred. (of course)

The company I work for used to be a Boeing facility (if that means anything to you - you mentioned Raytheon and Northrop - I'd place bets that we are highly similar to them in this regard) and I've heard numbers like more than 90% of engineering interns get job offers. We also pay them a full salary with full benefits while they are classified as an intern. Not sure on specifically the ME designation but we are seriously hurting for engineers in general. Kudos for being in a high-demand field. 

Are you set on staying in Chicago for your internship? It might be worth exploring somewhere you've always wanted to visit or maybe want to live in the future...

I would love to have the opportunity to temporarily relocate for an internship, but I have a 18 month old daughter and a pregnant wife, so I would feel horrible leaving my wife in the middle of a pregnancy for an internship. So I am trying my best to find an internship locally or at a maximum of a few hour drive.

Check and see if your school has a cooperative education program.  It's a program that has you actually rotate work semesters with academic semesters.  You do three rotations normally, and if you go to school during one summer it only delays your graduation by one semester.  I would say that having some form of internship experience is becoming more of a requirement than an extra edge in the job market.

I actually didn't end up working at the company I did my co-op with for a few reasons, but the experience I gained there was invaluable.  I would highly recommend checking into this.

I co-oped in school. I think the main difference was that I did it every other semester.

I worked for Navistar from 2008-2010. I was in Melrose Park, but I know a large majority of operations moved out to Lisle.

My views of interning more has to do with getting good experience rather than becoming "invaluable" to the company itself. Wherever you go after graduation, experience is necessary. Not necessarily with that particular company, buf just in general. Granted you are in a somewhat unique place in being a non-traditional student, who already has real-world experience.

My suggestion is get experience. It can be a summer off from classes while you earn a bit of $$ I don't feel you necessarily need experience in the exact field you want to get in, but it wouldn't hurt. However...I'm not sure there is much "renewable resource" work in Chi-are. (Although I could be wrong!)

Go to a company's website and almost all with career sections will also have a section on internships. Also, look for any engineering career fairs- that would be a good place to get human interaction, and call out your unique qualifications. (Having served) 

Good luck!

First check with you campus placement office.  Your military status is a big plus, but only being available for one summer is a big negative (doesn't give the company or you enough time to be of any value).  There are a few wind turbine type of operations in Chicago, solar is mostly dead.  There are bio-fuel plants south of Chicago and in Indiana. Also check out Argonne Labs.  

Due to the growing amount of unemployed veterans, there was an initiative that started in the last six-months that aimed to give preference to veterans, many companies have signed on to this, mostly defense contractors (can't recall the name of the program).  Probably will require relocation.  

I don't know how the new grad market is currently, so can't speak to your options of being selective or taking what's available.  However, job experience trumps no experience every time.

^^x2 This is very good advice.

Let me also add to Lisa's comments for a few reasons.  Saying Northrop Grumman or Raytheon really doesnt narrow the field much.  Those companies are involved in so many different fields and technologies that you mind as well say a "company with defense contracts"  As far as companies in renewables or energy in general there are a few in Chicago that I have dealt with.  I dont want to get into specifics on a public forum but feel free to PM me and I can give you some specific contacts and info.  As a fellow vet and ME who has worked in several fields including defense and energy specifically, I probably have some info that might help.  Regardless of that, you have chosen a good field and what you do is completely up to you.  Good Luck.

This was going to be my exact answer.

Is there a career services office/department at your school? At the engineering school I went to, a lot of companies who recruited on campus and came to career fair also offered internships, which you would interview for on-campus, usually in the fall prior to the summer you wanted to work. That was the easiest way to get an internship.

I did get a full-time job offer out of college for the company I interned for, so it can be helpful. Also, most engineering companies will want to know your prior job experience when they're hiring out of college, so I think it's fairly important to do *something* somewhat technical in the summer before your senior year. If you don't, you'll have a hard time coming up with things to talk about at an interview. Also, engineering internships pay well, so you might as well get one rather than working somewhere else for the summer!

You can also approach companies directly, which might work best for you since you're wanting to stay put rather than move for the summer. Come up with a good resume and cover letter, and compile a list of engineering companies in your area that you would be interested in working for. I got a list of the actual recruiters from the career office at my school, but you can also email HR at the company and ask for a recruiting contact for engineering. If you send them a knockout cover letter and resume asking if they need summer help and outlining some of your skills from school (especially your experience with various computer programs, etc), you just might find something. I found a job that way after my sophomore year after contacting about 20 companies. They pretty much just hired me to do some odds and ends and labwork that no one else had time for, but it looked good on the resume and paid well.

Good luck!