I liked the variety of hands on projects and tasks that I had the opportunity to work on. I helped with prototyping projects, assembling and disassembling projects from start to finish, learned to solder, and helped with testing. I liked how different each task was and how hands on each project was. I learned a lot of new practical skills from this. I also enjoyed the community here at Allied. The people here are all very friendly, and also very willing to help you learn and answer your questions.
What I wish was different
One thing that I wish would have been different is that I wish I was able to take on more responsibilities and had a little bit more of a work load. At times the days were slow and there was not much for me to work on. Whether this was due to waiting on parts, waiting on things that were out of our control, or just not having enough knowledge and experience to really help out.
Advice
One piece of advice I would share is to talk to as many people as you can and do not be afraid to ask questions. The people here are very willing to answer them and help you learn. Another piece of advice I would share is, do not be afraid to ask for more responsibility and ask what you can help with.
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Engineering Co-op Technician
January 2024 • Dayton, OH
What I liked
I really enjoyed the hands on design aspects of my internship. I feel like it was a perfect fit for me and my personality. There were days where I would sit at my desk designing parts for different projects, while other days I was soldering electronic components and testing. There was a good amount of variety in what I did that gave me useful experience in my field.
What I wish was different
When I started co-oping at Allied, I happened to join at a slow time for the company. There were fewer major projects being worked on and many of my co-workers had less to work on. So, I also had less to work on. There would be days where there just wasn't much to do. So if there's one thing to change, it would be keeping me a bit more occupied. It was not the biggest issue in the world though.
Advice
If I was to pick one piece of advice, I would have to say come into it with an open mind. This was my first real job and I quickly found that the work environment didn't always have to be serious. People would crack jokes a lot and try their best to have fun at the work place while remaining professional. I definitely learned to loosen up in the workplace by co-oping here.
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Mechanical Engineering Co-op
January - May 2023 • Dayton, OH
What I liked
It was great learning about the engineering process. More specifically, I enjoyed all of the testing that went into problems that arose during my time here. Each problem had a unique solution that we needed to identify, and sometimes that was frustrating, but figuring it out was rewarding.
What I wish was different
I would have like to work on a larger more mechanical motor, but the project that I was affiliated with was a more compact electrical device. Despite not working on a motor that I would have preferred, I got to learn a lot more about something I didn't know as much about. Specifically, the plastic molding process was something that I got to learn a lot about.
Advice
One piece of advice that I would give is to be patient when it comes to solving problems. It can be really easy to get locked into something you think is right and that may narrow your view. Taking a step back and looking at things from a distance can sometimes lead to quick and easy solutions that were right in front of you the whole time.
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Co-op
May - August 2022 • Dayton, OH
What I liked
This was my second term at Allied and I really enjoyed to higher variety of projects I got to work on, and the different stages of projects that I got to see. Seeing a product go from prototype to production was very rewarding and interesting. I really like the work environment here too, it is very friendly and it makes it very easy to learn and bounce back from mistakes. The work that they do is very good for a beginner co-op to jump into, as it contains elements of just about everything a mechanical/electrical engineer needs to learn to be successful.
What I wish was different
Most of the things that I wish had been different were under my control, but it would have helped me get to know as many people at the company as possible. Getting to see what they're working on, and how their process goes versus how your team's process goes would have been a great insight into how all sorts of different projects are similar and different. I also wish there had been a chance for me to talk about skills that I want to improve on to see if the work that I am doing can align with my interests. Since so much is done here you will more than likely be able to work on what you want to, but being asked for a bit more input would have been greatly appreciated
Advice
I cannot stress enough how important it is to ask questions. There is no shame in not knowing something; you aren't expected to come in as a college student with all the knowledge required to be a professional engineer. You have to get out of your comfort zone and talk to people even if you really don't want to because you are really limiting your ability to learn and have an impact by staying in your shell. Everyone here would appreciate it if you showed interest in learning as much as possible about the projects, engineering in general, and their lives and experiences in the field.
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Mechanical Engineering Technician Co-Op
August - November 2021 • Dayton, OH
What I liked
There were many aspects of Allied that I really liked but a few were the friendly coworkers, proximity to campus, and the wide variety of projects they are involved in. Everyone at Allied was willing and happy to lend a hand if I ever needed, they also made everything a learning experience that I could use in the real world.
What I wish was different
Honestly, there's nothing I wish would have been different. For my first co-op experience, it wasn't too hard, but I did feel challenged from time to time and if I ever needed help, I could ask anybody and they would point me in the right direction then let me figure the rest out for myself which I felt was more beneficial than having all my problems solved for me.
Advice
A piece of advice I would share is to learn as much as you can and get your hands dirty. I felt I learned more applicable skills in my co-op term than I have in any previous semester alone.
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Co-op
August - December 2021 • Dayton, OH
What I liked
Allied has a lot of opportunities to learn about the different areas of the Engineering field which I appreciated tremendously, as I was fairly uncertain in my career choice up until my time at Allied. Being able to do lots of different things and discover things you would never have thought about was extremely helpful. The size and location of the office are great as well, as I can still live on campus and commute to work, and you can get to know everyone in the office very well.
What I wish was different
Sadly for a good portion of my time at Allied, the main project I had been working on had ground to a halt due to supply chain issues and having to wait on materials. This is at no fault to the company, but I would have preferred to be busy during the time that was spent waiting for things to arrive.
Advice
Do not be afraid to mess up, especially if this is the first time that you are co-oping/working in the field. It happens to everyone, everywhere sooner or later, and making mistakes is the quickest way to learn. Failure is always an option!
