Editor’s Note: This is a guest blog post by Kettering student Charles ‘Chaz’ Mancino. Chaz is from Fredonia, New York, and is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. If you’d like to write a guest blog post, email phayes(at)kettering(dot)edu. 

By Chaz Mancino

As of this October, I have been employed at Tenneco for two years. In other words, I have one year of total work experience as a Kettering University student. What have I learned? A lot.

Besides learning how to time manage and take care of myself, I have also learned a lot regarding my job. Since I am in a similar group to the one that I was in two years ago during my first work term, I am familiar with the terminology, equipment and parts of the exhaust and emissions systems that I work with. I am starting to pull more weight as a co-op and have gained confidence in the workplace. Already this term, I have launched production drawings and made changes to designs to go into production. You truly know you are an engineer when your name appears in a production drawing.

After about 10 years (or half of my life) of wanting to be a mechanical engineer, it is a great feeling to know that I have made a difference in the world. From checking the quality of parts to collecting data for XNOx injectors to launching drawings, I have made the world a better place. The fact that I can say that as a 20-year-old is a big accomplishment, especially considering that most people my age are in classes for most of the year and do not have the opportunities that Kettering University has given me and my fellow students.

What has two years of being a co-op student taught me? Many things. In addition to learning engineering terms and gaining confidence, I have gained the ability to apply what I have learned in the classroom to the workplace. This is an important ability not only to gain more from my co-op and school experiences, but also to apply what I learn in the classroom and on my co-op towards a real job. And that is what a conventional school cannot teach.