Choosing your first internship can feel heavier than it probably should. Professors, parents, and friends all have opinions. You feel the pressure to make the “right” choice.
If you’re ambitious, that usually means chasing big names. The billion-dollar brands. The household OEMs and tech companies. The flashy start-ups everyone talks about.
I did the same thing.
After college, I joined Boeing. Cool product, good people, and a great résumé line. But the pace was slow and the standard wasn’t what I expected. The culture didn’t pull me forward like I hoped. I could’ve stayed and had a comfortable career, but it wouldn’t have been the one I wanted. I could feel that I had more to give and that I needed to be in a different environment to unlock it.
That’s not a knock on Boeing. It’s what happens when you’re in an environment built to maintain, not accelerate. You learn how to maintain the status quo, but you don’t learn how to push boundaries.
I’ve since evolved my opinion. I’ve learned that the people who truly make an impact, and who take off early in their career in the process, optimize for something else.
They chase growth, not prestige.
They put themselves in places where they have to deliver, where expectations are high, and where they get intentional feedback, ownership, and exposure.
The people who go far don’t just collect impressive names on their résumé. They get good at solving real problems, learn fast, and build confidence through experience.
To Do This, Three Things Matter Most.
#1 Build Technical Horsepower
A career of impact requires functional excellence. You don’t get it by luck. You get it when you’re thrown into hard problems, with real stakes, in a culture that demands excellence. Where you’re given ownership not for showing up but for delivering.
Where you see how the whole system works — from concept to launch to improvement — not just a sliver of the process. Where you get your hands dirty, are pushed to think from first principles, and are expected to raise the bar.
#2 Learn To Lead
The best engineers aren’t just technical. They influence. They move messy problems forward. They realize that the human aspect of business, and life, is just as important as the technical piece.
Leadership doesn’t come from a title or a classroom. It comes from being coached in a culture that expects you to think critically, ask questions, and take responsibility for outcomes, not just execute.
#3 Apply Your Skills In The Right Place
Skills only matter if you use them. A great career isn’t just about building technical chops and learning to lead. It’s about putting those abilities to work in places where you can actually make an impact.
That means environments that give you ownership, visibility, and trust. Where your decisions change outcomes. Where your work touches real products, real systems, and real people.
Because when you apply your skills in the right places, they don’t just add up. They multiply. That’s how you’ll accelerate your career.
Dare To Be Different?
If you want to stand out, the right start might look different than you imagined. A company small enough that you’re trusted with work that matters. Strong enough that the performance bar forces you to grow. Intentional enough that coaching shapes not just your skills, but your judgment.
That’s why we built the PJWS Intern Academy. Not to polish résumés, but to accelerate trajectories.
You won’t be updating slides all summer. You’ll own problems with weight. The ones that stretch across functions, shape how parts launch, and demand first-principles thinking. You’ll work in a culture that values your input, pushes you to think critically, and coaches you to become better. And because of that, you’ll deliver and leave with more than a résumé line. You’ll leave with skills, judgment, and confidence that compound for decades.
By the end of the summer, you’ll be able to say:
- “I improved a real process and saved the team hours each week.”
- “I designed equipment that operators still use.”
- “I know how to communicate across teams, solve complex problems, and take ownership.”
But that only works if you’re wired the right way. Humble enough to learn. Hungry enough to grind. Smart enough to navigate messy problems. If that’s you, this will be the most important (and easiest) career decision you’ll make.
As you consider where to intern, I dare you to be different. Don’t chase status. Build skill. Build judgment. Build momentum that compounds over time. That’s how you separate yourself from the crowd. It’s also how you create options for yourself and build a career that matters instead of a résumé that doesn’t live up to the hype.
So, what’s next?
- Apply to our 2026 Engineering Intern Academy. Here’s our application.
- Meet our team to see if there’s a fit. Don’t be afraid to ask us the hard questions.
- Join our company with competitive pay, a culture of growth, and an experience built on skills that last, ownership, and impact.
Ready to build a better career?
Brandon Bartneck, VP of Engineering | Brandon.Bartneck@pjws.com