Kitchener-Waterloo Region, the University of Waterloo in particular, is a hub of professionally aggressive engineering students. Competition is high among peers and ability to differentiate one’s self is paramount in the industry. Take a leaf out of Mitul Desai’s lab book and expand your horizon onto the international platform.
A recent 2011 UW graduate in the Masters in Mechanical Engineering program, Mitul joined AIESEC Laurier in January 2010 and actively took on a leadership role as Vice President of Communications, he became engaged in local university projects that propelled him to develop his leadership potential and led him to seek a long-term internship abroad. Originally from India where he completed his undergrad, Mitul applied to engineering positions worldwide and was matched with a 52-week placement on December 1st, 2010. He was out of the country by February and ready to work.
A student organization that facilitates international business networking through global internships, AIESEC helped Mitul obtain his technical internship with the Swedish manufacturing and service company, Electrolux. There is an untapped network of reserves that hold real value propositions for the UW academic, and as a student, finding the right connection to the global world has a multitude of tangible values from meeting others from diverse cultures, to supplementing education with a real-world business perspective.
Mitul now works in Australia in Orange, New South Wales with two other interns – one from Colombia and another from the Dominican Republic. “It takes a lot of time to solve some of the quality issues here and so we contact other branches in Europe or Latin America, to learn how the issue was tackled at their plant,” the Quality Engineer speaks of his work seven months into his internship, “Working for Electrolux has showed me how things are done in multinational companies as they have to have good co-ordination with the other plants too.”
International experience is becoming critically in demand and students should be reminded to take a holistic view of university education and encouraged to take challenges through whatever venue may facilitate building their leadership potential. Clubs and exchange programs are intended to compliment the university curriculum and well worth the effort; from international co-op services, to Engineering Exchange Programs to student organizations like AIESEC, the university community is ripe with venues that facilitate the UW student in developing a full portfolio that ultimately translates into a company seeing you as a value investment.
One might be surprised at how extensive just one student network can be. “When I came to Australia, I already had friends who had helped me with the initial arrangements and visa applications. We had never met personally but we were already good friends.” Mitul now knows people working in Sweden, Mali, Netherlands, France, India and many other countries. “These student organizations help you to tap into a huge network of highly motivated people. It has not just helped me find an internship, but it has helped me develop myself both professionally and personally.”
Campus is ripe with resources that facilitate these professional drives and teaches students about real world networking and business relationships that even the unrelenting PD courses fail to address. Mitul recounts his experience fondly, “I had a feeling joining AIESEC was going to be a big turning point in my life, but it all started when I showed the initiative. I was dedicated to my work and eventually I had impressed others with my zeal and enthusiasm that I was offered the opportunity to be a Vice President, for which I had no hesitation to take.”
Mitul, a self-prescribed introvert, attributes his growing confidence and professional development to these various guidance programs. Mitul saw the advantage in connecting his engineering academia with real world business acumen and says of his training, “I used to be very shy and couldn’t speak in front of people, but I gained a lot of self-confidence after I challenged myself and became a VP.”
The UW grad now looks to finish his internship with Electrolux on February 6th 2012. His future is bright and he attributes much of his good-fortuned opportunities to finding the right venue through which to direct his ambition and motivation. Through leveraging the right resources, Mitul has since met students from all over the world and urges students to be open to new opportunities as he was, insisting that the doors are right before us.
Leave a Reply