internship
Dec. 3, Site Visit Day:
For our site visit day at Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab, we got to get a first look at what we are going to be working with for our internship. We also got to meet the people the run the Thinkabit Lab. When we first entered the lab, we got to see first hand how the kids build their robotic creations and present it to the rest of the class. After the class, we talked with our internship advisor Saura about internship expectations and requirements. Then, we asked Saura a few questions concerning what we are going to be doing while we are at the internship:
1. What is a typical workday like?
Work days are from 9am to 3pm. You mostly just help the kids with their engineering projects and work on your own project at the same time.
2. What are your main duties and responsibilities?
Mostly helping kids with engineering, and create an engineering project that they can show to their friends.
3. How is the organization structured?
There is a class every day from about 9am to 3pm, the kids first go to Qualcomm world of work and learn about jobs and requirements to get a job at Qualcomm. Then, the kids move to the lab where they learn how to use LED circuits and create examples. Then after lunch it moves to learning how to code servos, then finishes up with making a machine using servos and presenting it to the class.
4. Tell us about your path in getting to where you are today- what is your educational history and work experience prior to working here?
I first got my engineering degree at UCSD and I wanted to make an impact on other people that want to get into engineering. I realized that I wasn't impacting enough people at UCSD so I created the Thinkabit program with Qualcomm.
5. Why did you choose to work here?
I had the opportunity to impact more people.
6. What qualifications do employees need to be successful here and how are those qualifications acquired?
A degree in either Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science would be the best.
7. What other personality traits, skills, or knowledge are important to be successful here?
The most important would have to be being a good team player.
8. What advice do you have about working here?
Hard work, have real skills in engineering and computer science.
1. What is a typical workday like?
Work days are from 9am to 3pm. You mostly just help the kids with their engineering projects and work on your own project at the same time.
2. What are your main duties and responsibilities?
Mostly helping kids with engineering, and create an engineering project that they can show to their friends.
3. How is the organization structured?
There is a class every day from about 9am to 3pm, the kids first go to Qualcomm world of work and learn about jobs and requirements to get a job at Qualcomm. Then, the kids move to the lab where they learn how to use LED circuits and create examples. Then after lunch it moves to learning how to code servos, then finishes up with making a machine using servos and presenting it to the class.
4. Tell us about your path in getting to where you are today- what is your educational history and work experience prior to working here?
I first got my engineering degree at UCSD and I wanted to make an impact on other people that want to get into engineering. I realized that I wasn't impacting enough people at UCSD so I created the Thinkabit program with Qualcomm.
5. Why did you choose to work here?
I had the opportunity to impact more people.
6. What qualifications do employees need to be successful here and how are those qualifications acquired?
A degree in either Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science would be the best.
7. What other personality traits, skills, or knowledge are important to be successful here?
The most important would have to be being a good team player.
8. What advice do you have about working here?
Hard work, have real skills in engineering and computer science.
Blog Post #1 Jan. 7
The first two days of my internship were actually really great. For the past two days I have been helping Saura and Vanessa with their teachings in the thinkabit lab. While helping the kids, I also learned a lot about coding and using things such as bread boreds and aurduino boards. After helping the kids, I learned that I need to work on my ability to not just give the kid the answer to the problem, but help the kid find the answer themselves. I really enjoy the meals that are given to me. I also like the friendly and kind work environment.
Blog Post #2 Jan. 8
My first week at my internship was actually pretty great. The special thing about today was the food, today was pizza Friday! The kids we had today were really friendly and really nice when I offered to help them. The class started around the usual time about 8:45-9:00, and the World of Work session of the class when relatively quickly. As I mentioned before we had pizza for lunch which was great, because there where so much leftovers I had sic slices. The building part of the day when as usual and the kids went home satisfied. All and all it was a great day!
Blog Post #3 Jan. 11-12
Qualcomm is one of the best and most comfortable work places I have even been in. The Thinkabit Lab itself is one of the best rooms I have ever seen with the nice glass/whiteboard desks for the kids to right on. The Lab looks just like if a Fry's Electronic
Store and a Micheal's was combined into one small room. The break room is very nice with a great working coffee maker and good food, all with a nice view. The rest of the top floor (were the Thinkabit Lab is) is very nice with lots of modern couches and tables, with nice, pit shaped cubicles for the people that work there full time.
Store and a Micheal's was combined into one small room. The break room is very nice with a great working coffee maker and good food, all with a nice view. The rest of the top floor (were the Thinkabit Lab is) is very nice with lots of modern couches and tables, with nice, pit shaped cubicles for the people that work there full time.
Blog Post #4 Jan. 13
I was given many project ideas at Qualcomm. The project I ended up doing was helping my mentor write an intern expectation document to help incoming interns know what is to be expected of them. My ideas is that instead of making the document look something like a permission ship for a field trip, I wanted it to look like a small book or handout. I wanted to do this because it will make it more stylish and more visually pleasing. So far I have made a layout of the pages that are going to be inside the book. I still need to put it on a computer and work on the formating.
Blog Post #5 Jan. 15
I am really enjoying my time at internship. This is so much better than school because of the amazing environment and people that I get to interact with every day. Even though school has some of my closest friends, I really enjoy the company at Qualcomm. I also enjoy the flexibility with the time schedule, like how some days are shorter and easier, and some days are long and more difficult. Even though school has tough me a lot, this internship has shown me what the real world is like and gives me a better look at what life has in store for me. I will definitely take away my better communication and time management skills from my internship.
Blog Post #6 Jan. 20
Daniel- It sounds like your internship is really fun. It sounds like you are being really helpful at your internship and I bet the people there are glad to have you. Good luck on the next couple of weeks!
Jonathan- It looks like you are having a good time at your internship and that is great. I wish I was working with dogs all day instead of kids haha. The skills that you are learning here will definitely help you in the future.
Cartier- It looks like you are doing great at your internship. Being a front desk man seems like a hard job, but you seem like the perfect fit for the job. Your good social skills help you in this position and this is why I think you are so good at it. Keep up the good work. Good luck!
It seems like everyone is having a great time at their internship. Everyone seems to be learning new skills that will definitely help them in the future. I hope everyone keeps up the good work and finishes the rest of this week and next week strong. I cant wait to hear all the storys about peoples internships when I see them again at school.
Jonathan- It looks like you are having a good time at your internship and that is great. I wish I was working with dogs all day instead of kids haha. The skills that you are learning here will definitely help you in the future.
Cartier- It looks like you are doing great at your internship. Being a front desk man seems like a hard job, but you seem like the perfect fit for the job. Your good social skills help you in this position and this is why I think you are so good at it. Keep up the good work. Good luck!
It seems like everyone is having a great time at their internship. Everyone seems to be learning new skills that will definitely help them in the future. I hope everyone keeps up the good work and finishes the rest of this week and next week strong. I cant wait to hear all the storys about peoples internships when I see them again at school.
Blog Post #6 Jan. 22
Some elements that my internship advisers use that can be replicated in one of our classrooms definitely can be the way the information is presented in a class. My mentor uses a more visual learning process than most of my teachers at HTHI. Also, I think there should be teachers assistants in the classroom, this would make the teachers job much easier and can furthermore concentrate on teaching the students the material. Some skills that I can take from my internship are the good communication skill that I have learned. Also, I learned to be much better with younger children and this can help me later on in life.
Blog Post #7 Jan. 25
-How did you make a meaningful contribution to your workplace?
For my project, I partnered with two other staff members and put together a intern guideline to help out incoming interns that do not know what to do around the Thinkabit Lab. This handout will stay at the Lab and be handed out to incoming interns.
-How was your work as an intern meaningful to your education?
It was meaningful because not only did I learn about engineering, but I learned good social skills in a quality work environment and this will prepare me for when I get a real job and try to adapt to the work space that I am in.
-How was your work significant or meaningful to you beyond school and your specific internship site?
My work is significant to me because not only do I get to make an awesome project, but it gets to stick around in the lab, also I get to put my name on the front of the guide so people get to see that I wrote it.
-How did your projects go from an idea or inspiration to a final product? Share out the process and be sure to upload evidence of this work.
Well, Saura gave me the idea of doing an intern guide and I thought that would be more beneficial to qualcomm then making a robot that I would have to destroy at the end of internship. My inspiration for the design of the guide came from a small pan-flit that had been already made by the staff.
This was the book I used for inspiration:
For my project, I partnered with two other staff members and put together a intern guideline to help out incoming interns that do not know what to do around the Thinkabit Lab. This handout will stay at the Lab and be handed out to incoming interns.
-How was your work as an intern meaningful to your education?
It was meaningful because not only did I learn about engineering, but I learned good social skills in a quality work environment and this will prepare me for when I get a real job and try to adapt to the work space that I am in.
-How was your work significant or meaningful to you beyond school and your specific internship site?
My work is significant to me because not only do I get to make an awesome project, but it gets to stick around in the lab, also I get to put my name on the front of the guide so people get to see that I wrote it.
-How did your projects go from an idea or inspiration to a final product? Share out the process and be sure to upload evidence of this work.
Well, Saura gave me the idea of doing an intern guide and I thought that would be more beneficial to qualcomm then making a robot that I would have to destroy at the end of internship. My inspiration for the design of the guide came from a small pan-flit that had been already made by the staff.
This was the book I used for inspiration:
-What did you learn about yourself through working on the internship project?
I learned that I can not only work in groups, but work by my self and get work done just as fast.
I learned that I can not only work in groups, but work by my self and get work done just as fast.
Blog Post #8 Jan. 26
-What new appreciations did you develop while working as an intern? Why?
A new appreciation that I developed while I was working as an intern was definitely when I started to notice that people really stated to care about me. It first I just thought like the Thinkabit Lab was going to be just a normal job where the only friends that I would have where the classmates that also got to partake in this internship. But what I realized is that everyone at the Thinkabit Lab is very nice and very caring and I felt extremely loved as I progressed through my internship experience.
-What qualities or characteristics did you see in the people around you that you want to develop in yourself? Why?
Some qualities that I see in people around me are how nice and welcoming they always are. Also, how open they are to new ideas and also really respectful when being given helpful feedback. I want to adopt these traits because I think that these are necessary assets that you need to have to work in an environment like qualcomm, which is somewhere I want to work one day.
-How did your view of life beyond high school change or develop during your time as an intern?
As my internship comes to a close, my view on life after high school has drastically changed. It has changed because I used to think most workplaces like this where very strict and not easy going, and I used to think that jobs like this would not be a good fit for me. But what I realized was that not every work place like this is uptight and strict and that I might want to work in a place like this one day.
-How might internship influence the direction of your life?
My internship definitely opened my eyes into the world of engineering. I kind of knew I wanted to be an engineer when I grew up, but this internship really showed me all the different fields of engineering and narrowed the path that I want to take when I start studying to become an engineer.
-How did communication/or collaboration at work influence your understanding of professional working environments?
As I continued to work at the Thinkabit Lab, I got the opportunity to attend a few meetings with my fellow staff member's. As I listened to these meeting, I found out that eye contact is a very important part of talking in a professional environment. It lets the other person know that you are listening to everything they are saying, which shows respect.
A new appreciation that I developed while I was working as an intern was definitely when I started to notice that people really stated to care about me. It first I just thought like the Thinkabit Lab was going to be just a normal job where the only friends that I would have where the classmates that also got to partake in this internship. But what I realized is that everyone at the Thinkabit Lab is very nice and very caring and I felt extremely loved as I progressed through my internship experience.
-What qualities or characteristics did you see in the people around you that you want to develop in yourself? Why?
Some qualities that I see in people around me are how nice and welcoming they always are. Also, how open they are to new ideas and also really respectful when being given helpful feedback. I want to adopt these traits because I think that these are necessary assets that you need to have to work in an environment like qualcomm, which is somewhere I want to work one day.
-How did your view of life beyond high school change or develop during your time as an intern?
As my internship comes to a close, my view on life after high school has drastically changed. It has changed because I used to think most workplaces like this where very strict and not easy going, and I used to think that jobs like this would not be a good fit for me. But what I realized was that not every work place like this is uptight and strict and that I might want to work in a place like this one day.
-How might internship influence the direction of your life?
My internship definitely opened my eyes into the world of engineering. I kind of knew I wanted to be an engineer when I grew up, but this internship really showed me all the different fields of engineering and narrowed the path that I want to take when I start studying to become an engineer.
-How did communication/or collaboration at work influence your understanding of professional working environments?
As I continued to work at the Thinkabit Lab, I got the opportunity to attend a few meetings with my fellow staff member's. As I listened to these meeting, I found out that eye contact is a very important part of talking in a professional environment. It lets the other person know that you are listening to everything they are saying, which shows respect.
Blog Post #9 Jan. 28