While enrolled in a university, many students desire a way to secure employment in the industry of their major. How does the student actively secure their potential job? The typical answer would be by procuring an internship. Traditionally, internships can be secured by students applying for formal internship programs, or even by arranging an internship through the career center at their respective universities. However, there are internships that are obtained by non-traditional means. There are times when opportunities arise in the most unlikely circumstances. This paper will discuss a student perspective of obtaining and participating in an informal industry-sponsored internship in engineering through unconventional community partnerships. Lessons highlighted in this paper may assist in broadening participation in engineering and STEM workforce development.
Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.