Landon Adams (May 2022 – January 2023)

Co-op Experience

What was the interview process like?

The interview process felt relaxed.  During the spring career fair, I went to Hunter Engineering’s booth and talked with previous Co-Op, Matthew Traum, and HR and they encouraged me to apply. I was then set up with a virtual interview on Microsoft Teams with hiring managers, Brian Cejka and Nathan Palmer. We discussed the projects and skills I had listed on my resume as well as some of my undergraduate research at school. A few days later I was offered the position.

Most students just want experience, but they may not know what type of experience they want. Please describe some of the work you did and what type of skills you needed. It is important to note the skills you could apply from what you’ve learned in school and what you learned on the job.

A lot of the work I did during my term was assembly of prototypes, one off parts manufacturing and modification, product testing and a Co-Op design project. For prototype assembly develop the skill of looking at parts and how they are constructed and just being able to understand how to put them together. For one off parts manufacturing and modification develop the skill of fabrication and tool use comes along with that. For product testing retain classwork knowledge. A specific example is Nathan Palmer and I were testing the torque output of a DC motor, that torque had to be calculated. If you have a design project learn some CAD and how things can be made.

What experience do you think will be the most useful for you in the future?

I think that the exposure to how parts are made and what is possible in manufacturing parts will help me the most in the future.

How do you think the overall experience will help you in your career?

I think the overall experience of actually seeing how engineering is applied outside of school and the process that goes along with that will help me the most in my career.

What aspect of the work did you enjoy the most?

I enjoyed just about every part of my job. The aspect I enjoyed the most was that every project I worked on, my portion of it was meaningful. I wasn’t given tasks that don’t aid in the completion of projects.

What aspect of the work did you not enjoy?

The only aspect I didn’t enjoy as much was the occasional high volume of testing.

Did you learn anything?

I learned that I still have a lot of learning left to do. I got to see how the full engineering process is completed and how many other people mechanical engineers work with throughout each day. I also was able to learn how all of Hunter’s equipment works.

Students often want to know if they will work alone or in a group. Was the work you did more individual or group work, and how does it compare with what you have done in school or at another job?

I would say it was a 65/35 split, alone to group work. It really depended on the priorities at hand whether our tasks were able to be done in a group or solo.

What were your living arrangements during co-op?  This question is especially important for those that are not from St. Louis.

I was given a housing stipend and I rented a studio apartment near Hunter. After accepting the offer, HR put all the Co-Ops in contact with each other to help with living arrangements.

How was the supervision?

I thought the supervision was fantastic. I was given tasks with all the information needed to complete them and just got to work. I didn’t have my hand held through those tasks or micromanaged.

Anything else you'd like to tell us about yourself, Hunter Engineering, the co-op program or the work?

If you are given the opportunity to work for Hunter Engineering, do it. I had a fantastic time during my term and would recommend Hunter Engineering to anyone.