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| Ferry to Nantucket |
Week nine at GE starts out with some major mentor action. On Monday I head out to Panera with about 30 other co-ops for our last Women and Technology summer intern meeting. It's sad to see everyone off, but luckily, since I will stay on at GE past the summer months, my relationship with my mentor is just getting started.
On Tuesday I'm assigned a Northeastern 'buddy' at GE. These 'buddies' are Northeastern alumni who now work at GE. They will help me with any problems I have, get me acclimated to the the company and more. I'm excited and immediately set about scheduling my first meeting with my buddy.
The rest of the week is spent busy with an amalgamation of tasks. I begin by going over the proposal books we put together for our international campaign, checking for accuracy and noting any errors to be changed.
I spend several hours transferring lists of F414 engine parts from DSP licenses to an Excel document for use in determining part sourcing. This will help in the future when my boss needs to know which countries to contact for permission to use or purchase certain parts.
I've also taken a big step this week in obtaining control over a project. I will be managing a team as they attempt to lease and/or purchase F414 parts from the U.S. Government for use in testing for an Indian fighter plane. I am excited to be managing people, deliverables and learning to instill accountability in my group without being overbearing.
Midweek I meet with my boss to discuss some items on the horizon for our department. The Tailhook tradeshow in Reno, Nevada will occur in September. While I would love to attend, I seriously doubt they will send an intern out there (but I'm keeping my fingers crossed). In preparation for the event, my boss has me working with the newest JOLP (Junior Officer Leadership Program) who will be helping him in marketing efforts. It's definitely an exciting time to be in the Sales and Marketing department at GE Aviation as they are completely reworking the company structure in that area and adding a slew of new talent.
In my continued efforts to interact with individuals outside of my concentration, I begin a project for the Senior Financial Analyst in my department. I will be compiling a central reference list of current PBL Contracts (Performance Based Logistics) with contract codes, contract amounts, billing schedules, etc. While the actual task is not that complex, it requires me to interact with a different department and some finance co-ops. It has also given me great exposure into what those support contracts look like and how billing is structured around them.
On the personal and school front, I begin my week by talking to my career adviser about my resume. An updated version is due by the end of the week and I want make sure its in tip-top shape for the resume book being sent out to employers for the career fair on September 13th.
Along the same vein, I also amp up my networking efforts, reaching out to anyone I know who might have a connection to some of my target companies. I scour LinkedIn, talk to the Career Center and rack my Executive mentor's brain for leads.
On Wednesday, Northeastern's new Social Media Dashboard launches with the blog of yours truly on the front page. Please check it out at http://www.northeastern.edu/social-media/.
On Thursday a tentative employer list for the Career Fair is released. Among the big-name companies attending: Aflac, EMC Corporation, Hamilton Sundstrand, IBM, John Hancock, Liberty Mutual, Lindt Chocolate, Novartis, Raytheon, Staples, State Street Corporation, UPS and more! I make a mental note to get my power suit dry-cleaned.
Along with these notifications I also receive e-mails regarding the potential to either extend our corporate residency through the Spring term or try out a second co-op at a different company. While I don’t think this option is for me (I am trying to graduate early, after all) it’s an opportunity several of my classmates will welcome.
That Friday is the final summer co-op lunch at GE. We all head to Uno's Chicago Grill. I can't imagine what it would be like to be leaving GE already! I feel like I've just started to pick up speed. Seeing all of these interns leaving after a short three months makes me extra grateful for the six-month residency program offered by Northeastern.
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| Amazing breakfast |
Week 10 (August 15 - 21)
This week at work sees me following up on most of last weeks initiated tasks.
I set up my first meeting to discuss the leasing of the F414 parts for testing on the Indian fighter jet. I have both a team meeting and make an effort to meet with members individually to keep tabs on their action items. I am also sent off in several directions, making calls across the entire site for information I need. I'm glad to be getting exposure beyond my building and in departments as diverse as manufacturing and finance.
I continue to work on the PBL Contract (Performance Based Logistics) list as well, tracking down necessary documents from many different individuals. I particularly enjoy when I end up being directed to individuals I've worked with on completely different projects. It makes the 4,000-person GE site feel smaller and more personal.
During my boss' absence this week I am instructed to go through all of his pricing files for international proposals around the world and create a template to track the pricing validity of the bids we placed. This will help him keep tabs on which proposals need new pricing strategies or updated forms.
A big event this week at work is I get to participate in the first of two international license owner training courses. My first one is for owners of DSP-5 licenses. These marketing licenses are required for each country we, GE Aviation, wish to communicate engine information to. Without them, we would face compliance violations and be in trouble with the government so the course is no light matter.
Later that week I attend what GE calls an 'All Hands Meeting'. These division-wide meetings give everyone the chance to interact with and ask questions of our General Manager while listening to his forecast of the aviation market, our company goals and upcoming projects.
In my life outside of work I am pleased to say I purchased my Marketing Research textbook. As these are non-refundable the bookstore buy makes my commitment to the class official! Yikes
On Wednesday I can't help but visit at least ONE restaurant for the summer version of Boston's Restaurant Week. That night I dine at Masa in the South End. While the spicy chicken taquito appetizers and half-priced wine are excellent, the remainder of the meal is lackluster. However, I don't mind because I just love the bustling ambiance of restaurant week.
A special random side note: My dinner date and I had the noble intention of hitting up the gym before indulging in our designer Mexican food but we were rudely stopped upon entering the Marino Center. You see, since we are now technically at the end of the Summer II term we had lost gym access. As we are not full-time students the gym fee is not automatically charged to our account for subsequent terms. So, if you want uninterrupted workouts, make sure your Fall term fee is paid well before the end of Summer.
This weekend it's off to Nantucket! I leave work early on Friday for my long, yet pleasant, train, bus and ferry journey the the island off the coast of Massachusetts. Luckily for me, a good friend has a house on the island and has been visiting since she was little. I can't wait for my insider's guide!
And I am not disappointed! As soon as I step foot off the ferry it's right to drinks and then dinner at American Seasons where I indulge in a series of amazing appetizers, a delectable pork entree and rich dessert.
The next day the weather is perfect for a beach to Sconset and breakfast at Black-Eyed Susan's (which included delish pancakes stuffed with Jarlsberg cheese).
We follow that up with a stroll around town, a return dinner at Black-Eyed Susan's where I order up some linguini with local quahogs and finally a night-cap at the ever-popular local spot, The Summer House.
The next day it's back to the beach for some ocean swimming, cookies at Sconset Market (where my friend spent her teen summers working), a bluff walk, four-wheeling it on sand dunes to a 100+ year-old light house and the highest point on the island.
Sadly, the afternoon it's back home, only this time I ride in style, sitting in the co-pilot seat of a 10-seater Cesna. Let me tell you there is nothing quite like it! The smile on my face was so pronounced I was definitely getting teasing looks and remarks from fellow passengers. What an amazing weekend!
This week at work sees me following up on most of last weeks initiated tasks.
I set up my first meeting to discuss the leasing of the F414 parts for testing on the Indian fighter jet. I have both a team meeting and make an effort to meet with members individually to keep tabs on their action items. I am also sent off in several directions, making calls across the entire site for information I need. I'm glad to be getting exposure beyond my building and in departments as diverse as manufacturing and finance.
I continue to work on the PBL Contract (Performance Based Logistics) list as well, tracking down necessary documents from many different individuals. I particularly enjoy when I end up being directed to individuals I've worked with on completely different projects. It makes the 4,000-person GE site feel smaller and more personal.
During my boss' absence this week I am instructed to go through all of his pricing files for international proposals around the world and create a template to track the pricing validity of the bids we placed. This will help him keep tabs on which proposals need new pricing strategies or updated forms.
A big event this week at work is I get to participate in the first of two international license owner training courses. My first one is for owners of DSP-5 licenses. These marketing licenses are required for each country we, GE Aviation, wish to communicate engine information to. Without them, we would face compliance violations and be in trouble with the government so the course is no light matter.
Later that week I attend what GE calls an 'All Hands Meeting'. These division-wide meetings give everyone the chance to interact with and ask questions of our General Manager while listening to his forecast of the aviation market, our company goals and upcoming projects.
In my life outside of work I am pleased to say I purchased my Marketing Research textbook. As these are non-refundable the bookstore buy makes my commitment to the class official! Yikes
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| Masa's dining room |
A special random side note: My dinner date and I had the noble intention of hitting up the gym before indulging in our designer Mexican food but we were rudely stopped upon entering the Marino Center. You see, since we are now technically at the end of the Summer II term we had lost gym access. As we are not full-time students the gym fee is not automatically charged to our account for subsequent terms. So, if you want uninterrupted workouts, make sure your Fall term fee is paid well before the end of Summer.
This weekend it's off to Nantucket! I leave work early on Friday for my long, yet pleasant, train, bus and ferry journey the the island off the coast of Massachusetts. Luckily for me, a good friend has a house on the island and has been visiting since she was little. I can't wait for my insider's guide!
And I am not disappointed! As soon as I step foot off the ferry it's right to drinks and then dinner at American Seasons where I indulge in a series of amazing appetizers, a delectable pork entree and rich dessert.
The next day the weather is perfect for a beach to Sconset and breakfast at Black-Eyed Susan's (which included delish pancakes stuffed with Jarlsberg cheese).
We follow that up with a stroll around town, a return dinner at Black-Eyed Susan's where I order up some linguini with local quahogs and finally a night-cap at the ever-popular local spot, The Summer House.
The next day it's back to the beach for some ocean swimming, cookies at Sconset Market (where my friend spent her teen summers working), a bluff walk, four-wheeling it on sand dunes to a 100+ year-old light house and the highest point on the island.
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| Feeling pretty cool with my front-row seat to this view! |
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