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3 Keys To A Successful Internship (meet Will Hollis)

In January of this year we welcomed Will Hollis, an Applied Engineering and Technology Management major at Millersville University to our drafting department. Will was looking to participate in an internship where he could apply the skills he learned in the classroom in a real working environment. We were hoping to add another technical mind to our drafting department, so it turned out to be a perfect match.

Will spent the first half of 2017 working several days per week alongside our talented team of draftsmen and design engineers to learn the technical needs of mechanical construction. During this internship Will learned to apply his classroom knowledge to understanding the design and drafting process including layouts, detail drawings and how mechanical systems work together in a limited amount of space. He especially enjoyed having the ability to see his digital creations in real life on our job sites.

We were so impressed with Will’s dedication, talents and personality, we asked him to stick around after graduation. We are pleased to announce that in late May, Will joined our team as a full time Draftsman.

When asked for some advice on completing an internship Will had three keys:

  1. Use Everything As a Learning Experience– Will didn’t start doing real drafting work for several months. Instead, he practiced on previously completed drawings from old projects. As first it seemed a little strange, however, as time went on, he learned it was important to understand all of the detail work that went into each drawing. Learning to layer mechanical systems together with fixtures and structural components within a building helped to build his confidence and skill set.
  2. Keep an Open Mind– When Will first arrived in our drafting department he didn’t get to dive right into AutoCad. Instead, he learned to copy drawings, how to digitally file them and where to store the drawings when completed. While it sounds monotonous, those basic skills are something Will draws on every day.
  3. Be a Swiss Army Knife– Will said his best advice is “learn how to be helpful anywhere”. Don’t be afraid to start from the ground up. The more you know, the better you can perform.