Bronco Spotlight: Melissa Badovinac
Manufacturing Engineer at G.A. Richards Group
My company manufactures office furniture from steel and wood. Some of my job tasks include customer quoting, CNC machine programming, general project management, troubleshooting machines and fixtures, and problem solving manufacturing issues from production operators.
What is the most rewarding and the most challenging part of your job?
Seeing pictures of the final product we manufacture on our customer's social media is a great feeling and exciting to see. I am lucky that my job tasks differ with every project and product that comes through creating challenging but interesting days for me every day.
What activities, resources, or people helped you prepare for your career?
First, the STEM career fair in the fall helped me perfect an elevator speech and get more comfortable speaking with other engineering professionals. Second, I feel that having a 2-semester senior design class/project was extremely valuable to me and my professional development. I learned so much about project management and manufacturing processes through my project that I otherwise wouldn't had been exposed to. Third, I was lucky enough to find an internship that started at the beginning of the spring semester and lasted through the end of summer, giving me way more experience than I was originally expecting when applying to internships. Lastly, Handshake is an AWESOME resource for internship and job searching, and I preferred it to any other job search engine. I found both my internship and my current full time job through Handshake.
What advice do you have for students?
Go to your professor's office hours! Start going early in the semester. I fully regret not using this resource my first and second year, and my grades suffered because of it. You will gain credibility with your professors, and most professors look forward to seeing their students put effort into their class like this. Also, try and get an internship as soon as you can! Start looking and applying in the early fall.