Top 5 Reasons to do an Internship in the Automotive Industry

As most people my age, I have went through the exhausting process of finding an internship, inevitably going through all the application stages, participating in interviews and, of course, contemplating what I ultimately want to do with my professional life and how to compliment my future career with my internship choice.

So naturally, these questions were going through my mind when I was offered an internship in one of the largest automotive manufacturers in Europe. After some consideration, I eventually accepted it, and after almost half a year working there, I can surely say it has been the best professional experience I have had in my life. While I can think of many more, here are my personal top five reasons for doing an internship in the automotive industry:

Cars, cars, cars

Although this might seem like quite an obvious reason, it is really important to understand the essence of the industry when considering a work placement with a car manufacturer. There are only a few other industries, which are as unique in their essence as the automotive one. It is an environment, which is constantly revolving around one thing: cars. Everything you do is ultimately focused on the profitable production of a competitively positioned vehicle. The entire environment in a car manufacturing company is established upon different aspects of a car’s life cycle. It doesn’t matter if you are in a meeting, discussing your project, or you are having a casual chat with a colleague over lunch; the first and foremost topic to come into discussion is related with something with (at least) four wheels.

As a person who has always been keen on everything with an internal combustion engine, I really did not need much time to feel at home in this environment. But even when I already felt comfortable enough with automotive topics taking such an importance in my life, I still couldn’t help but notice how industry-specific everything in the company is. Even my daily activities sometimes included driving cars of all different kinds and for all kinds of different purposes. During my internship, cars really became my life.

Economies of Scale

When you think about a car manufacturer, you most likely assume that the scale of operation is quite large. But it is not until you actually become part of the industry when you trully realize the scale and gravity of the company’s activity. I was utterly amazed to realize that I work for an organization with a 12-figure annual revenue and whose production plant is larger than the size of Lichtenstein. The statistics can go on and on, but it is not until you actually see through the very core of the organization when you realize the gravity of the impact you and your colleagues will potentially have on the world.

Environment

When speaking about the automotive industry, it is impossible not to mention the admirable level of team-work-achieved on a daily basis by employees. Just like all small parts of an engine, each and every one of the people working in the organization serves a particular purpose to ensure the success of their team, which eventually drives the whole organization. I was genuinely impressed by the depth of assistance I received from my colleagues in any situations, whether it was the completion of a mutual project, or just random request for help. Everyone in the company works with the goal of having the best possible team result and therefore everyone makes sure that all of their colleagues are capable of completing their assignments and contributing to the overall success of the company. And as if that wasn’t enough, there was always my supervisor to help me and consult me in all kinds of situations by taking an incredibly personal approach. In such an organization, team success stands above all else and I feel no doubt in saying that I could always count on my colleagues’ support and my supervisor’s guidance in everything I did.

Learning Curve

As every International Business Management student, I have had more than enough of theoretical projects about a company’s sales performance or marketing strategy. And then what? What happens when you actually step into an environment where your competence plays a key role into determining data that affects the lives of millions people? What happens when your input is needed to make a key decision for years ahead? What would go through your head, when you realize that you’ve been working with six-figure volumes, each and every one of which represents a five-digit purchase? Let’s face it, no matter what your educational background is, there is nothing similar to the real-life conditions and intensity set by a large-scale company, no matter the industry. In the automotive industry it is even more so, as decisions are based on a large amount of data and potential mistakes could prove fatal in later stages of a certain project.

The level of responsibility given to interns in organizations like this is truly admirable and it is almost certain that whatever you have learned in university is incomparable to the real-life challenges that you have to face during your internship. Yes, you have had a semester project to deal with, but providing adequate data to support a long-term decision in a very limited time is something entirely different. It really takes a great deal of learning and adapting to be able to contribute positively to the team’s field of operation and during my internship I have definitely developed a lot when it comes to my competences, as well as my work process.

The Human Factor

Last, but definitely not least, is the degree of personal interaction that a potential intern in the automotive industry can surely expect during their work placement. And by interaction I mean not only benefiting from the team-oriented environment described above, but also all the international networking occasions that would inevitably develop an intern’s soft skills rapidly in the short term. During my work placement I have had the chance to meet people from all over the world in all kinds of settings, ranging from a formal event for members of the organizations worldwide, to my weekly meeting with team members around the globe. As an International Business and Management student, I had already had some experience with working with people from different cultural backgrounds, but it is not until I started my internship in the automotive industry when I really realized to what extent the collaboration between employees form different locations stimulates the work efficiency and the overall project results.

And of course, as an intern in an organization with so many employees, you can surely expect to meet many other interns just like you. Due to the competitiveness of the industry, it is highly likely that those interns will also be highly motivated and result-oriented, which gives the unique opportunity to spend some time, in and out of work, with people the same age from different cultural backgrounds and socialize. Since I started my internship, I have had the chance to meet a plethora of people from all over the world and now that I look back, I can surely say that this has been an experience that will last for life and that has helped me make a lot of new friends.

So, these are my top five reasons for doing an internship in the automotive industry. I can confidently say that this has been by far the most beneficial and educational experience I’ve had and I wouldn’t think twice about doing it again.

How about you? What were your key internship takeaways? What was your experience like?