Amanda Jasinowski
I chose to study Industrial Engineering because of the variety of career options available with such a degree. I liked the idea of gaining a varied engineering background by taking courses not only in industrial systems and manufacturing, but also in the material science, mechanical, and electrical engineering curriculums.
An attractive draw to the Industrial Engineering department is the optional year-long senior thesis project available. You work with the professor of your choice, researching a topic that is of interest to you. I am currently writing a thesis on the opportunities of wind power.
I have also spent the last two summers working for General Motors. Each summer was an entirely different experience, proving to me the diversity of work available to an Industrial Engineer. During my first internship, I worked in the material handling department of a transmission plant. The second had me doing supplier quality work out of an office building and traveling 2-3 days each week.
As a senior, I am now experiencing the career search and interview process. With an IE degree, I am finding a wealth of companies to submit my resume to that actively recruit at Lehigh. The job options available include both technical
opportunities as well as business-related careers. Currently, I have final-round interviews set up with both Lockheed Martin and IBM.
Katie Drewes
Always enjoying math and science courses, I began to think seriously about becoming an engineer. I researched the different types of engineers and found industrial engineering. I chose to major in IE because it’s the type of engineering that provides you the most options. With IE you get the technical background that you need to be an engineer, but you also take courses that help you understand the technology and business aspect of companies as well as general leadership skills. So although we might not be building a factory or the latest machine part, we understand the basic concepts of how they work and focus on how to improve the process and systems that support them.
I’ve had the opportunity to co-op for United Parcel Service (UPS), one of the largest employers of IEs in the country. I worked full time for UPS over the fall semester and summer after my junior year. I worked on data management projects in MS Excel and Access, as well as being involved with work measurement and time studies. I went riding with a UPS driver for a day, which helped me to understand all of the activities he had to accomplish. With that knowledge, I was able to determine how many minutes the morning allowance should be for all drivers in that building. I also worked out of the UPS Philadelphia International Airport Hub. Not only was I able to walk onto 747 planes and watch them land and unload everyday, but I also learned how to forecast the daily volume that was processed on their day sort. I learned the logistics of how to forecast the number of packages being processed daily, and saw the effects of how errors in the forecast affected the number of hours of the sort and the number of people employed. It was an invaluable experience from which I am still benefiting.
Currently I am in the process of interviewing for a job upon graduation. Because so many companies hire IEs for a variety of jobs, I have tons of options for the type of work I would like to do. I am focusing on consulting firms, investment companies, and pharmaceuticals. I have gone on interviews with companies like Johnson & Johnson, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Navigant Consulting, IBM, and SEI Investments. |
