At TT, we’re passionate about supporting the next generation of engineers through meaningful, hands-on experience. This summer, Electrical Engineering Intern Katie Arnett has been working with our teams to build skills, grow confidence, and see what a real career in engineering looks like.
From testing resistors on the production floor to analysing data and learning from expert mentors, Katie has embraced every challenge with curiosity and drive. Her reflections are a great example of how we live our values - doing the right thing, championing expertise, and achieving more together.
Read on to hear Katie’s story in her own words.
My name is Katie Arnett, and I’ve had the exciting opportunity to be an Electrical Engineering Intern at TT Electronics over the past few months. As a rising junior at Texas A&M University, this is my first internship experience in the engineering field. So far, I’ve worked on a variety of hands-on projects and tasks including: electrically testing resistors, shadowing and assisting in the laser trim division, learning how to compile data using Excel and various coding techniques, and learning all the intricacies of the production process here at TT.
What does your day-to-day look like?
My assigned mentor, Miles McFarland, works with me daily to assign different tasks and projects he would like me to complete, while also allowing me to shadow him in his daily routines and meetings. One of my favorite parts about the internship is that every day looks different to the last. Some days are spent entirely on the production floor, working hands-on with testing and shadowing in different areas, while other days are focused on compiling and analyzing the data gathered to improve the production process. Through these various projects, I have honed a range of both technical and fundamental skills including: coding, Excel proficiency, analyzing data, working with a team, and problem-solving.
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What has stood out to you most during your time as an intern at TT?
Something I’ve noticed throughout my internship is that TT’s core values really are being lived at all times. The best part of this internship is the family you become a part of at TT. Each employee has made me feel seen and welcomed, and many people have gone out of their way to offer support and guidance on various projects I am working on, never making it feel like an imposition.The other interns and mentors are also great engineers to work with and learn from. I have learned a lot about their various fields of engineering and observed the different ways they approach a problem, given their respective field. Getting to see how multiple disciplines of engineering all work together to solve problems and produce solutions has been a really neat experience, allowing me to see engineering from multiple different perspectives.
What would your Advice be to Future Interns?
My advice to future interns would be to prepare yourself to learn. When you face each day with the mindset that you are there to learn, not to prove your own intelligence or expertise, you will be amazed at the outcome. It takes the pressure off and instead allows you to ask intentional questions and have conversations that will be far more impactful. Recognizing and tapping into the wealth of knowledge at my disposal through my mentor, manager, and fellow interns has made all the difference in my internship experience.
What’s next for you in engineering?
Looking forward, this internship has provided a great example of what my future career could look like. I’ve gotten to witness and experience a lot of the ins and outs of the day in the life of an electrical engineer, and I am looking forward to learning even more throughout the duration of this summer. After this internship, I have two more years of college before I complete my undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, and then one additional year to obtain my MBA. Whatever the future may hold after that, I know that my experience as an intern at TT Electronics has certainly had a positive impact on my career overall and has helped to further equip me to be a leader and problem-solving engineer, ready to make a difference in the world.
We’re just two months into her internship, and Katie has already achieved so much - we can’t wait to see what her final month holds.