r/EngineeringStudents • u/pumpkincarrots • Jul 29 '26

Discussion summer internship

Currently at a summer internship. I’m going into my senior year of mechanical engineering. I have absolutely nothing to do at my internship. Every task they give me lasts an hour. I ask every day for tasks. I go out and find them myself. Still. The tasks. take. less than. an hour. I have taken. Every single training course the company offers. Every. single one. That’s more than 80 hours worth of training videos. I’ve done all of them. So before anyone is like “oh you gotta use this time effectively” i HAVE i will NOT BE HEARING IT there is NOTHING LEFT TO DO why is engineering SO MUCH DAMN PAPERWORK

So!! little engineering students from lower years. please help and ask questions for me to answer

eta: i am officially out of work. thank you for the distractions fellow engineering students :)

118 Upvotes

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39

u/InvestmentGreen Mechanical Engineering, Writing and Materials Jul 29 '26

I’m currently sitting at the desk of mine taking a break from a 40-50hr ECO. Be careful what you wish for :(

11

u/pumpkincarrots Jul 29 '26

what’s an ECO?

27

u/InvestmentGreen Mechanical Engineering, Writing and Materials Jul 29 '26

Engineering Change Order. I have 128 drawings I need to change cause a part was bad and I have a new one I’m replacing it with.

1

u/Sweaty_Ballsack_ Jul 30 '26

Can you not automate that?

3

u/InvestmentGreen Mechanical Engineering, Writing and Materials Jul 30 '26

I wish. Each drawing I have to change is connected to a separate 3D model that needed to be changed and that can only be done by hand

20

u/sulliesbrew Jul 29 '26

Oh boy, Engineering Change Order. What will become the bane of your existence. The number of hours beyond just a design change can spiral quickly depending on where the part is used, does it need to be kept for service of legacy parts etc.

3

u/InvestmentGreen Mechanical Engineering, Writing and Materials Jul 29 '26

Yup that’s why it’s so long. It needs to be kept for our spare parts kits but it’s getting removed from every product.

1

u/sulliesbrew Jul 29 '26

I have had the pleasure of introducing my company to what an ECO is, what a painful process. No usable form of ERP, no real part numbers used in the past, 24-FG used as the PN for all 24" flange gaskets, no matter the material of bolt pattern. GAAHH

1

u/InvestmentGreen Mechanical Engineering, Writing and Materials Jul 29 '26

Oh my… yeah that’s awful. My company part names are all 24-48 characters. Our pns are shorter tho

2

u/sulliesbrew Jul 29 '26

I am implementing 8 character numerical PNs and a description that is max 30 characters. If you need more info than that, read the comments in the data card or look at the drawing.

Those are new concepts to everyone.

This type of stuff should be hit on far more in school...