Spirit AeroSystems

Research and Technology Intern

May - August 2021 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

The people were very welcoming and made me feel like I was a full time employee

What I wish was different

My specific project was not very rewarding, and my contribution will not be used.

Advice

Research housing well before deciding on a specific location.

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Materials and Process Engineering Intern

May - August 2021 • Tulsa, OK

What I liked

Lots of hands-on work opportunities.

What I wish was different

More structure to my intern project and overall summer schedule.

Advice

Be ready to learn a variety of new things and help out wherever needed.

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Aerospace Engineering Intern

May - August 2021 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

There were many shadowing opportunities available to interns to explore other areas outside of their team/program. The mentorship structure allowed for both personal and career guidance.

What I wish was different

Some interns had better experiences than others. I wish the experience was more equal across programs/disciplines.

Advice

Ask as many questions as you can. People are more than willing to help you learn if you ask.

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Aircraft Design Engineer

May - August 2021 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

Everybody was so friendly and I feel like I made a bunch of connections!

What I wish was different

Would have liked the project expo to be closer to the end of the internship.

Advice

Reach out and go to things - there’s so many interns to become friends with!

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Fabrication Intern

June - August 2020 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

I had an amazing mentor and I really enjoyed the work I did which was not necessarily what I was expecting before the summer.

What I wish was different

COVID-19 made the internship shorter and it was harder to get to know the other interns.

Advice

Come in ready to learn not just about what you are doing but also the whole company.

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Process Engineer Intern

May 2019 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

Working with a group of industrial engineering students like myself and getting real world experience in the field.

What I wish was different

Learning the process of building an aircraft earlier before doing extensive time studies on specific parts. Also developing closer relationships with the workers on the shop floor.

Advice

It is a great learning experience to go out on the shop floor and experience what the workers do on their job. It can be difficult to do time studies on parts without attracting attention to yourself from the workers whom might act suspicious of your work but try to act friendly around them and smile. It is important to establish a good relationship between you and the workers.

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Supply Chain Intern

June - August 2019 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

The people and work environment encouraged interns to explore what working in the aerospace industry looks like

What I wish was different

I wish there were more intern events and more hands On mentoring from managers

Advice

Reach out to people in the company who you want to learn from! Everyone is super friendly and willing to take even just a lunch with you to answer questions

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3D Animator

July 2019 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

I liked a lot about this project. I got to make meaningful connections with my peers and faculty members. I got the opportunity to network with some potential employers. Additionally, I learned a lot of skills that will be applicable to many things in my burgeoning career. I even got to see Spirit's CEO view my handiwork! That was awesome.

What I wish was different

Very little! It would have been nice to have a little more time to perfect our craft. Maybe more open and frequent channels of communication would have helped too.

Advice

Networking is key! Also, be willing to learn new things on the fly if you don't know them already--that is a really valuable skill and employers will be impressed by your initiative.

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Manufacturing Engineering Intern

May - August 2019 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

I liked working on the 737 ME team. I learned many different things and met many different people. I worked on a very special project that will continue to be used even after I left the company. I played on a softball team with other interns, and had a lot of fun.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have worked overtime, but overall I loved my time at Spirit AeroSystems.

Advice

Apply for many different positions, even if you do not plan on signing with the company is it important to sharpen your interview skills. Attend many different leadership seminars, and put them on a resume. Dress for success! I wore a tie nearly everyday to my office job. I was the only one in my department that did, but it set me apart from the rest of the other interns. My professionalism and skill set is what got me that great job, so my advice to someone who wants to work in the aerospace engineering industry is to be professional and not be afraid to learn new things. Have a firm handshake and make connections in the industry.

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IT Intern

May - August 2019 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

I liked that interns at Spirit are given real business projects to work on during the summer. It really made me feel like I was contributing to the business.

What I wish was different

I didn't work very closely with other interns. The 6 IT interns had a weekly update meeting with the CIO, but I didn't meet many interns outside of the IT department.

Advice

It's very important to make a strong professional impression at the beginning of the internship. I was a little more reserved than I should have and that led some of my co-workers to have the impression that I was quiet and unsure - which I had to work to change.

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Design Engineer intern

May - August 2018 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

I had many mentors that guided and coached me on progressing my career

What I wish was different

I wish it could have been less of a desk job

Advice

Even if you don't like one particular area where you happen to work, it's possible you could be very happy working in a slightly different area within the same company.

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Stress Engineering Intern

June - August 2018 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

I enjoyed the work experience as well as the group that I was assigned to. On day one, I received a mentor within my group and it gave me the one-on-one experience that I was looking for, as well as a person to confide in. I enjoyed the work I did, and I felt like an essential piece to the project. Spirit emphasized the importance of every little job to the final product. Everyone I met was proud of their work, and I was also excited to feel proud of my work too.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had taken more shadowing opportunities in different groups. Given the few groups that I had shadowed this summer, I was able to get a sense of all of the moving parts of the company.

Advice

One piece of advice that I would share about this experience is that you should take the time to interact with the other interns and attend all of the intern activities that Spirit has planned. You will make so many connections, and you might not know when those connections will come in handy.

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