How’d You Land That?! (Part 1)
A myriad of wacky intern tales
It’s finally April, and my spring allergies are in full swing, reminding me that summer 2024 is quickly creeping up on us. For aerospace students, that means another brutal internship gauntlet is winding down. Many of our peers already have internships, and many are still frantically searching. Unfortunately, as that dusty adage goes, it’s usually who you know and not what you know that gets you in the door, and frustratingly, some people seem to know everyone! For the rest of us, the best we can do is sharpen our resumes, hone our elevator pitches, and button up our cover letters. If you’re looking for help on how to do those, there are countless great resources online (and chances are your department also runs a workshop for this type of thing every semester). I’ll list some of my favorites here:
If you aren’t able to lock down an internship this time around, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t think any less of yourself. As I pointed out before, getting an internship isn’t always based on skill or qualifications. Sometimes you get unlucky and that’s the way it is. That doesn’t mean you should stop trying though, so keep on applying to those summer, fall, and spring internships. Keep looking for research opportunities. Apply for fellowships. I know it’s tough, but one day, you’ll look back and wonder what you were ever so worried about!
In the meantime, we’ve come up with a fun article to keep your spirits up about some of the craziest, luckiest, and most unique experiences other students have had with their internships. These stories have been left anonymous, but feel free to reach out to The Overview if you have any questions! And keep in mind, your story might go right along with them very soon!
Story 1: Annoying an Indian Space CEO
I don’t think I ever got an internship in an entirely conventional way. Each and every internship I got had some story behind it, some more interesting than others. And each time, there was the pressure of “Oh man what if it all goes wrong and I end up with nothing?”. But, to spare you the details, I’ll focus on one from way back in my freshman year.
My freshman year was interrupted by the pandemic. In the middle of spring break 2020, I frantically left the US and went back home to India. As a freshman, I really didn’t want to spend a summer doing nothing, even though I knew the likelihood of me getting an internship in aerospace in Hyderabad was very slim.
But I was lucky. Very lucky. One of the most up-and-coming aerospace startups in India, Skyroot Aerospace, was in Hyderabad. And it was literally a 5 min walk away from where I grew up. I needed to capitalize on this chance. Since it was a small company, I sent a connection request to the CEO. He accepted, amazing! All right, great. I sent a message talking about my experience. No response. A week later, sent another message. No response. Maybe I just didn’t have any sense of shame back then. But I just kept the once-a-week barrage of messages going. I even found the COO and started spamming him too. Would I do this today? I don’t know, but I always look back and think about how crazy I was about getting that opportunity.
Eventually, maybe a month and a half later, the COO responded with a simple message. “This is our HR’s phone number. Reach out there”. I think he just wanted to shut me up, but hey, I took it! I contacted the HR guy, who then connected me with the GNC lead. I could tell that he had some reluctance hiring someone who didn’t have much experience and wasn’t a full-time hire prospect. Then I just blurted “I can be unpaid for the summer.” I was a freshman living at home without a need for money at the time, so the experience was much more important. I got hired, went to work, and got busy! My work was by no means critical to the company’s GNC operations; it was nothing more than a side project they were getting for free from me. But I had a good summer period and enjoyed working with a professional team for the first time, a good start to my professional career!
Here’s what I want you to take away:
Sometimes you will get lucky, but you still need to recognize these strokes of luck and capitalize on them.
If you have something in your head saying “eh, why try so hard, will it be useful?” Still go for it! You never know what you’ll get out of it.
Since I worked for them in May 2020, Skyroot had some major growth. They became known nationally for a suborbital launch, and got their own huge facility for rocket design, build, and integration. Since I was connected to the COO, I reached out to him and asked if I could get a tour next time I was in Hyderabad. He said yes! When I went back, I got to sit down with the COO, visit their shiny new facility, check out their tech, and spend many hours talking to the GNC engineers I worked with nearly four years ago. I never expected to have these connections from an unpaid internship as a freshman. Just goes to show, you always need to push hard to seize that opportunity that comes your way.
Story 2: Rockets on the Breadline
Fall of 2021 found me desperately trying to lock down an internship. I was burnt out after the COVID college experience and needed some reassurance that I was on the right path. Luckily for me, one aerospace company had reached out to set up a call. Excited to finally have my first interview with a genuine commercial space company, I answered the phone. After exchanging quick pleasantries, the moment I had hoped for had come, and I was hit with my first ever aerospace interview question: “So where do you think you’ll live when you’re down here?”
After some initial confusion and clarification, I came to the realization that I had just secured my first aerospace internship without ever having completed an interview. This kind of unconventional experience prepared me well for the internship to come.
For the uninitiated, most new space companies have had tumultuous histories. This particular company was no different. The only context you really need is that as I onboarded, the major backer was no longer able to fund the company. With no new money coming in and the future uncertain, I witnessed firsthand a company facing a challenge to its existence with all the policies, rumors, mass emails, all-hands, and everything else that follows.
In the middle of all of this, me. My manager quit a few weeks after I joined, and us interns privately wondered what would happen to us. Other employees also left looking for more stability, and the ones who stayed shot up the ranks filling in any gaps left behind. While I never did get formally assigned another manager, I was “adopted” by other managers and engineers in the department who were always in need of idle hands. By the end of the internship, I had gained a wide range of experiences with PCB design, harnessing, software development, and structural testing.
All in all, I loved my time as an intern. Amidst the backdrop I’ve described there was a great culture with incredible engineers, technicians, and managers I was privileged to work with. And as I departed, new investors entered the picture and the company continues to succeed to this day. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can begin to appreciate how lucky I was to be part of this company during such a fascinating and pivotal moment in their journey.
Conclusion
Huh, who knew all it takes to get a job is to spam the COO of a company on LinkedIn?? Well, maybe offering to work for free might help your case. But how about getting an internship without even completing an interview??? I guess the shortage of staff might’ve helped out with that one too… All this to say, you never know what’s going on at these companies and the opportunities open to you unless you put yourself out there. So, keep an ear to the ground and take that path less traveled (thanks Mr. Frost!).
Today’s stories have been fun, but as the “Part 1” in the title suggests, there are more to come! So, tune in next time to be regaled with more whacky tales that may involve a bit of venture capital and getting a job through the mail!
And as always, if you found this article useful, have feedback, or have your own story you want to tell us about, shoot us an email at admin@theoverview.org.
To infinity and all that,
Mark
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