Surrounded by friendly, experienced, helpful, intelligent, hard working individuals. The site provided lots of opportunities to learn from a variety of scientific disciplines.
What I wish was different
Advice
Ask a ton of questions, share your passions and driving forces. By doing those things I was put in touch with people from different NASA centers working on things that interest me. Volunteer your services and ask to take part in activities.
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Pathways Intern
January 2018 • Houston, TX
What I liked
The opportunity to try out different departments/jobs within the agency was nice. I got to figure out what I liked and what I didn't like, and I had the opportunity to grow my network.
What I wish was different
I enjoyed all aspects of my internship. NASA made sure of this by assigning me a mentor for each project I worked on and allowed me to give lots of feedback on my experience.
Advice
Network with your coworkers, even if it feels awkward. Your coworkers are the ones who will stick up for you when it comes time for hiring decisions, but if they don't have much to say, you're not likely to be extended an offer.
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Summer intern
May - August 2017 • Greenbelt, MD
What I liked
Many great on-campus opportunities for interns to participate and learn about programs in different departments of interest
What I wish was different
More interactive working environment instead of the interns being thrown into a storage closet.
Advice
Dont hesitate to apply to an internship at NASA regardless of your areas of interest. They have opportunities in almost every field and welcome excited candidates.
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NASA research intnern
June - September 2018 • Palmdale, CA
What I liked
What I wish was different
Advice
Make the most every single opportunity presented and network as much as possible
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Safety Engineering Intern
June - August 2019 • Merritt Island, FL
What I liked
I got to learn more about the history of Florida and NASA
What I wish was different
Advice
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Intern
May - August 2019 • Washington, DC
What I liked
Being at Headquarters was really interesting because every project NASA is involved with has a representative at HQ. I was able to learn about a wide array of projects just by visiting employees at their desk. Everyone loved being there and shared their work with me enthusiastically. In terms of my work, I was given a lot of responsibility from the start, which made for a very rewarding internship despite only being 10 weeks long.
What I wish was different
Advice
I would say that making an effort to network is a really good idea. I wish I had started talking to employees outside my team earlier. I was able to develop long-term mentorship relationships with my direct employers as well as others at HQ.
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Atmospheric Research Intern
May 2018 • Hampton, VA
What I liked
The people and the field work. The opportunity to work with and learn from the best in the field.
What I wish was different
I wish I had been closer to home.
Advice
Don't go into a position with NASA always expecting to be a formal setting. Come prepared to learn and be pushed out of your comfort zone.
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Pathways Engineering Intern
May - July 2019 • Cleveland, OH
What I liked
I love working in a team environment and an innovative atmosphere. I spent my summer working with the human landing system team focusing on cryogenic propellant management. I loved applying classes I’ve have taken in school to my work, for example heat transfer and thermodynamics.
What I wish was different
I wish I had begun looking for housing earlier because the housing NASA had suggested filled up very quickly and was not pet friendly.
Advice
The best piece of advice I have is to apply for every job that you really want. I did not believe I would get this amazing opportunity, but I applied anyways because it sounded so interesting. I learned so much this summer and gained valuable experience because I decided to take a chance and apply.
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Student Research Intern
June - August 2019 • Hampton, VA
What I liked
The opportunity to work for an amazing organization. The research was very meaningful and went toward important projects such as the Mars mission in 2023.
What I wish was different
I wish that there were more researchers on my team.
Advice
My advice would be to always be open to new opportunities, regardless of past experiences or immediate interests.
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Engineering intern
May - August 2019 • Houston, TX
What I liked
Great leadership, mentoring, work schedule, and pay
What I wish was different
Advice
If you have a mentor, learn as much as you can from them
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Intern
June - August 2019 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
Everything
What I wish was different
Advice
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Intern
June - August 2019 • Washington, DC
What I liked
It was a great experience working within the Strateic Investment Division for the OCFO. Great mentors and working environment!
What I wish was different
Advice
Embrace the opportunity!
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Pathways Intern (Materials Science Branch)
May - August 2019 • Cape Canaveral, FL
What I liked
The entire experience was phenomenal! The work I was given was meaningful and helped to support the various projects ongoing at the Kennedy Space Center by NASA Personnel and contractors. My coworkers were all very nice people who were very willing to provide help when needed, show me around their labs, or give me a project when I had down time. While my work did not have me working with any other interns or co-ops, as there are so many places engineers can go to work at KSC, there were still plenty of opportunities for me to socialize with fellow interns and network during the summer.
What I wish was different
I wish I could have stayed longer, but as this is a co-op position I will be returning Summer 2020 to continue work!
Advice
Definitely make an effort to network and get to know people. During an internship or co-op, this can lead to your involvement in projects you otherwise would not have known about, which will provide substance to your resume, making you more valuable not only to the company or organization you work for, but any other potential employers. Also try to get involved, be it with employee organizations or public outreach events as these also help with networking. Finally, try to make it to at least one launch on center! It's an entirely different experience when you can actually see the rocket leave the pad.
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Intern
June - August 2019 • Hampton, VA
What I liked
Fun and collaborative environment. Everyone was so passionate about what they were working on that it was exciting to discuss it with them. A lot of responsibility given for your project.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Embedded Systems Software Developer
May - August 2019 • Wallops Island, VA
What I liked
Everything! The work and atmosphere was awesome.
What I wish was different
Not a thing.
Advice
Don't expect to go on coffee runs all day.
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Aeronautical Engineering Intern
May 2018 • Cape Canaveral, FL
What I liked
Work experience, materials, location
What I wish was different
Work load and responsibilities
Advice
If you like 9-5, this is your job. Not very challenging
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Intern
May - July 2019 • Hampton, VA
What I liked
I worked in a branch that had people working on all kinds of different projects - the Mars 2020 mission, Crew Dragon, conceptual missions to the outer planets, technology demonstration missions - and I got to see many of them give presentations or talk about posters they would be presenting at a yearly conference. I also liked the people I worked with, especially my mentors; the work I was doing (programming), and all the tours of other parts of the center.
What I wish was different
We were supposed to submit documents (powerpoints or reports) about what we did during the internship 2 weeks before the last day of our 10 week internships. That means most people either submitted their documents late or left off 20% of the work they actually did. I wish they'd made that deadline a little bit closer to the end.
Advice
Choose wisely whether you want to live with a full-time employee or rent an apartment for the summer. Living with a full time employee is cheaper, but you give up some of your freedom.
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Engineering Intern
June - August 2019 • Titusville, FL
What I liked
The projects are so cool and fun to work on and being at the space center is amazing.
What I wish was different
I could get a full time job from it.
Advice
Always put yourself into the work and do your best.
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Research Assistant
June - August 2019 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
My team and I got to develop a product from the ground up. Unlike most internships we were not given busy work or someone’s half finished project. We’re we’re given full control over the design process and made the project our own.
What I wish was different
I would have liked more opportunities to touch base with my mentor to discuss the progress of my project. She made herself available for questions, but there was no formal design review in the middle of the internship to evaluate the project’s progress.
Advice
During this program you’ll only get out of it what you put in. It’s not like school, you don’t get fully developed assignments. If you want it to be easy you can slack off all you want, but if you really want the job experience you have to ask questions and tell them you want more challenging work.
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Flight Test Operations Engineer
May - August 2019 • Edwards, CA
What I liked
I gained invaluable experience working with real engineers on an awesome project. I was constantly surrounded by awesome aircraft and great engineers.
What I wish was different
I wish I could’ve stayed longer.
Advice
I recommend doing as many internships as you can, because they give you the experience needed to be successful in your future career.
