Any Engineers here?

Hey all, I know we have our fair share of engineers on the board, but I was wondering if there were any in the Michigan (specifically Metro Detroit) area. I'm a Mech. Engineering senior at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and I'm looking to find some sort of internship or co-op position for next semester. I only have 2 classes left before I graduate, so I'm hoping I could find a job somewhere to gain some more experience before I graduate. If you work for a company that could use a good Mechanical or Automotive Engineer intern/co-op please let me know!

I'm actively searching through various websites and my school's career center, but I figured I'd post up here to see if any of you guys know of any openings :)

I'm an ME senior at UM-D too. i tried getting a co-op for 2 years to no avail. I'm just going to get it done and graduate in the fall. Good luck to you, it shouldnt be too hard to find something...its just impossible for me for some reason.:o

Hey all, I know we have our fair share of engineers on the board, but I was wondering if there were any in the Michigan (specifically Metro Detroit) area. I'm a Mech. Engineering senior at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and I'm looking to find some sort of internship or co-op position for next semester. I only have 2 classes left before I graduate, so I'm hoping I could find a job somewhere to gain some more experience before I graduate. If you work for a company that could use a good Mechanical or Automotive Engineer intern/co-op please let me know!

I'm actively searching through various websites and my school's career center, but I figured I'd post up here to see if any of you guys know of any openings :)

Try searching the websites of corporations in Metro Detroit you would not mind co-oping for. Many websites have a section for full time/co-op employees that will allow you to submit your resume. They may also have a number to call (call it and start asking questions). Also, go to co-op fairs (they occur many times a year).

Try searching the websites of corporations in Metro Detroit you would not mind co-oping for. Many websites have a section for full time/co-op employees that will allow you to submit your resume. They may also have a number to call (call it and start asking questions). Also, go to co-op fairs (they occur many times a year).

Yup, I found a Detroit Engineering website that lists a bunch of local companies. I'm checking out their websites and sending resumes and stuff, but it always helps to know someone :)

I'm an ME senior at UM-D too. i tried getting a co-op for 2 years to no avail. I'm just going to get it done and graduate in the fall. Good luck to you, it shouldnt be too hard to find something...its just impossible for me for some reason.

Haha! Small world. I was able to get a co-op, but the company really didn't have anything to offer a co-op. I was their first one, they had nothing lined up for me to do. They started giving me some decent work in my second semester with them, but I wanted to try to find something more oriented with my career goals.

roush has an engineering intern position posted.

roush has an engineering intern position posted.

I hope you like working for pennies

made more at roush than at Ford

made more at roush than at Ford

I'm not sure whether I'd be suprised at that or not. Either way I hope that Ford isnt paying some of their engineers too much. Some of the ones who came into my building when I worked for Roush over the summer were downright comical. Roush isnt going to pay as well as most other companies but I'll be applying there anyway until something better comes along after I graduate. The pay isnt there, but they're always hiring. Every week there were new engineering positions open. At this point for most of us, a jobs a job. Anything is a step up from bussing tables at an ailing Mexican restaurant at least from my point of view. :shrug:

Yes, I've seen an applied for the Roush positions. I'd love to work for them...even if the pay isn't that good. I'm not looking to make a lot of money while I'm still in school, I just want to get some real good experience in the automotive field, since that's what I want to get into after school. Thanks for the heads up though guys! If you happen to hear of something, please post it up :)

Mmmm....there might be an opening at my place (federal government). I'll check tommorow morning.

Just remind me by PM.

I graduated from UMD in 2004 with a BSME. I remember talking to you over PM a couple of times...

I'd recommend that you consider working for an engineering consulting company, like Ricardo, AVL or FEV. They have a variety of projects and hire a lot of new graduates. They all have websites on which you can find contact information. I worked at Ricardo for 5 years and just this summer moved over to GM in Milford. One of the projects I worked on at Ricardo was as a design release engineer for the SRT 6.1L Hemi. Did that for about 3 1/2 years and it was a blast.

Another thing I'd recommend is to join the SAE and look on their website for internships and other contacts. They have monthly meetings, and if you attend them, you'd be surprised what good networking skills can get you in any industry.

If you have any chance to choose an area in which to work, the hot areas right now are hybrid, diesel, and controls. If you have any college experience in these areas, make sure it has the proper attention on your resume. GM has hired a huge number of college students from across the country that were involved in Challenge X the past couple of years.

BTW, since I mentioned Challenge X, consider also Formula SAE or Mini Baja. One of the guys I work with is still heavily involved in UMD's projects, and it got him a lot of hands on experience, and yet another chance to meet people in the industry at the competition.

Thanks for the input Mike! I have a student SAE membership, however I'm not able to access the careers section of the website. I'm not sure if it's due to being a student or what. I've sent an email to customer service to see what the deal is with that.

You may find that calling someone gets you a faster response. I can access the career center at SAE, but did not find any internship positions listed in Michigan under automotive engineering a few minutes ago. I found that very odd, but it is what it is I guess.

SAE has a show here in Detroit each year, around February. If you go to that, there is a corner of the floor devoted to the career center. This year they must have had 40 companies there.

You can also look in the monthly SAE magazines for job ads and company contact information.

The best thing you can do however, is start hanging out where other automotive engineers are likely to hang out. Network. For instance, go to autox events, or Waterford Hills, or Milan, and talk to people.

A lot of where you spend your time should be based on where your interests lie. For instance, if you're interested in being an engine component release engineer, you may consider getting a job helping build up engines or even working with people who do. Way too many people graduate college in automotive engineering without ever having seen the inside of an engine. If you're more interested in doing engine calibration, start tuning your own engine and picking up on what does what.

What I'm trying to say is, don't just limit your search to established engineering companies. When I was going through college I worked for Comp Cams on their tech line and programmed their CNC master lobe grinder. On the weekends I would travel with the NMCA and became their EFI Tech Director. This experience helped me immeasurably after graduating.

I'm going to school for Piping right now, but may do piping and Cival Structural also since i've been doing alot of house modification stuff in spare time on my dads house, and grandfathers house. but the petro chemical industry is booming now.

Thanks for the input everyone! I'm gonna see about joining formula SAE. I've known about it, but until now I haven't been able to fit it in my schedule. It looks like it's something that a lot of automotive engineering employers like to see.

I'm an engineer with GM in Ypsi (Transmission New Products and Technical Specialists Group).

Hey guys, I'm bumping this thread from a few months ago. Wondering if any of the companies you work for (or know of) are hiring entry level mechanical/automotive engineers. I'm starting to send out resumes and have been on a few interviews now, and wanted to see if you guys knew of any opportunities in Michigan. I've been browsing monster and careerbuilder, as well as craigslist and my school's career services site. I've been to a few engineering job fairs, and have applied to several companies online as well. That being said, it's easy to overlook a lot of the companies out there (especially some of the smaller ones), so if you guys know of any companies that are looking to higher recent college grads, shoot me a message!

It is very tough for entry level engineers now I believe. That's because there are so many experienced engineers who are looking for work.

Do what you can while you're still in college to get experience so your resume will stand out. The only college grad engineers I've seen hired in my area of GM are ones from things like Challenge X, etc. They had a job offer a year before they graduated.

It is very tough for entry level engineers now I believe. That's because there are so many experienced engineers who are looking for work.

Do what you can while you're still in college to get experience so your resume will stand out. The only college grad engineers I've seen hired in my area of GM are ones from things like Challenge X, etc. They had a job offer a year before they graduated.
What group are you in? Here in Ypsi we have probably hired 40 new people in the last year alone.

I work in Milford. We hire new people for sure, but college grads with no experience are few and far between. Same goes for Romulus in the dyno area. I assume you work in manufacturing?

I work in Milford. We hire new people for sure, but college grads with no experience are few and far between. Same goes for Romulus in the dyno area. I assume you work in manufacturing?
No manufacturing for me although they aren't very far from my desk.

I'm in the Transmission New Products and Technical Specialists Group. HR4

A large majority of our new hires were right out of school including myself and 7-8 other guys in my group alone.

Maybe there aren't that many unemployed transmission specialists then.

Maybe there aren't that many unemployed transmission specialists then.
Or the ones that are unemployed want too much money and they'd rather pay us new guys peanuts and build a strong foundation. That combined with the fact that we just have so much damn work ahead of us keeps the new blood rushing in at a steady pace. That's how I see it anyways.

Transmission Engineering has actually hired quite a few experienced guys as well and they've all been real sharp as well.

I'll respond back to your PM later tonight Koz.

Thread bump. LT1Homer PM me, maybe we might have crossed paths, I am on the engine side of GMPT in Pontiac... your soon to be new home..

For all you college guys, it's been posted on this thread already, but get involved in co-op as early as possible. I graduated from Kettering (when it was still GMI) and had a lot of engineering experience before I even graduated. I was there in the mid-late 90's when the market was soft, but just before the big upswing in the late 90's.

Another huge enabler was the SAE competitions. I did FSAE for 3 years, and also worked on our SAE Hybrid competition (Saturn years) a little bit, as well as Formula Lightning a little bit. Mostly hard core FSAE though. That experience is gold. I never got a direct job from it though Ford was recruiting me pretty hard and I got an interview setup while at the FSAE competition. I didn't take the job (didn't want to work at a big company back then, though I work for the General now)

Once I had the degree, I couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a good paying job, but the good-to-have jobs still were hard to get. I credit my co-op and extra-curricular activities with getting me the jobs I have had over the last 10 years. My GPA was never spectacular, I spent too much time in the project garage, it wasn't my dashing looks (:)), so I can only think the extra activities worked. I regret none of them, and have been mostly having a blast.

Thread bump. LT1Homer PM me, maybe we might have crossed paths, I am on the engine side of GMPT in Pontiac... your soon to be new home..

For all you college guys, it's been posted on this thread already, but get involved in co-op as early as possible. I graduated from Kettering (when it was still GMI) and had a lot of engineering experience before I even graduated. I was there in the mid-late 90's when the market was soft, but just before the big upswing in the late 90's.

Another huge enabler was the SAE competitions. I did FSAE for 3 years, and also worked on our SAE Hybrid competition (Saturn years) a little bit, as well as Formula Lightning a little bit. Mostly hard core FSAE though. That experience is gold. I never got a direct job from it though Ford was recruiting me pretty hard and I got an interview setup while at the FSAE competition. I didn't take the job (didn't want to work at a big company back then, though I work for the General now)

Once I had the degree, I couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a good paying job, but the good-to-have jobs still were hard to get. I credit my co-op and extra-curricular activities with getting me the jobs I have had over the last 10 years. My GPA was never spectacular, I spent too much time in the project garage, it wasn't my dashing looks (:)), so I can only think the extra activities worked. I regret none of them, and have been mostly having a blast.

Good info! I regret not getting more involved with SAE at my school. It has always been something that interestested me, but the opportunity was never really there due to class or work or family obligations. I have an interview with GM Powertrain on Friday though, so hopefully I can leave them with a good impression :)

Just as an update...I had a lot of trouble finding some sort of internship, but managed to land a research position working with one of my professors. It wasn't particularly interesting, but it kept me busy for a little while.

On the other hand, I didn't have too much trouble finding a real engineering job for when I graduate. Go figure! I should be joining the GM powertrain ranks in Milford in around a month and a half.

Koz, PM me, and I'll give you my GM contact info. I've been at Milford since last summer.

What area will you be working in?

Roush is a hell hole, Nuff said.

Roush is a hell hole, Nuff said.

I haven't heard of anyone that works for Roush that likes it. That being said, I applied for a calibration engineer position there. I figured driving around Roush cars couldn't be that bad. :cool:

Also, I heard that other companies like to hire people who have worked for Roush.

I haven't heard of anyone that works for Roush that likes it. That being said, I applied for a calibration engineer position there. I figured driving around Roush cars couldn't be that bad. :cool:

Also, I heard that other companies like to hire people who have worked for Roush.

I know more people that used to work for Roush than I know people who currently do. Lots of fabricators I know got started there, the good ones go on to better paying jobs, both on the OEM side of Roush, and the racing side. They do not seem to know how to retain talent. I know a few guys on here, and others on the MM site are current and former Roush employees.

Glad you took the GM job, stay in touch, and drop me an email when you get your work email set up. Enjoy the country club out in the Milf..it's almost bad you got a job out there first, you will be spoiled.... until you have to jump start a development car out in the blowing snow because somebody left the instrumentation on and killed the battery... nope don't miss that.