43: Q&A: Getting Your Paper Published, What It’s Like Working for Tesla, First Internships, and More

The early career of an engineer is often stressful because acquiring experience in the field seems like an impossible challenge. However, there are many opportunities for MSE students to develop their skills aside from internships, such as in research and academic clubs. These experiences add to any person’s portfolio, and some companies look exactly for this kind of background in a new intern.  Check out our MSE Company Database and free professional development guide for materials scientists and engineers! In today’s episode, our hosts Punith and David answer a few of our listeners' questions about the job market for MSEs, and their personal experiences in research and internships. In this conversation, we discuss the following topics: Landing your first internship Do you need higher education to achieve your career goals? Finding your passion as an MSE What does it take to be a co-author in a paper? How clubs and makerspaces can give you experience Working for Tesla Expectations vs Reality of your first job Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice.  Also, check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! Thank you Joao Morgado for editing this episode! Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field. For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at [email protected]. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.