Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1034678
2 0 S T U F F • F a l l 2 0 1 8 C O M P A N Y P R O F I L E S S T U F F M a d e I n C T . c o m So, you've decided to pursue a career in manufacturing. You've focused your studies, switched programs, perhaps even schools, and are well on your way to embarking on a career to pay off ten-fold. Have you considered an internship? Manufacturing students who participate in internships or apprenticeship programs boost their chances of landing a job after graduation, many becoming employed at the very companies where they served as interns. Here are a few young manufacturers whose internships helped propel them toward success. Colette Ruden – United Technologies Corp. Ruden embarked on her first internship with UTC's Otis Elevator Co. in 2017. She has completed her second summer with the company and plans on interning again – next year – after she's graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, with a degree in mechanical engineering. Ruden says working at Otis has boosted her career and her confidence. "When you're in school, you're at the same aptitude level as everyone else and you start to wonder, 'Am I really cut out for this?' Having supportive mentors at UTC has helped me to believe in myself," said Ruden. At Otis, Ruden joined the coded steel belt group, working on new testing procedures for primary elevator qualification belt screenings. In layman's terms, she worked to reduce safety risk by ensuring belts won't break down in the future. "My main project this summer was to work with my mentor in the Otis test tower," said Ruden. "I learned how to design an experiment, understand data and statistics and present my project at the end of the summer. I was also fortunate to have the opportunity to work, individually, at my own pace." The most exciting and rewarding part about working for UTC Otis was the support network, Ruden said. "My mentors were my biggest fans; they let me tag along to meetings and inspired me to be inquisitive. Working here has reminded me why I went into engineering in the first place," Ruden said. UTC is looking for fall interns, especially in program management. Plus, the company doesn't require applicants Students interested in manufacturing careers find there's no better resume builder than experience Colette Ruden AGE: 21 TITLE: Propulsion intern COMPANY: UTC's Otis Elevator Co. LIVES: New York City MAKES: Products for customers in commercial aerospace, defense and building industries CAREER ASPIRATIONS: To become fully employed at UTC - Otis