Interning in with ABB has been an interesting learning experience. In the last four weeks, I hope to gain more hands-on experience and learn more about each engineering role in my department. Thus far, the projects that I have worked on have been focused on design using the company’s RobotStudio software. Currently, I am working on designing a gripper attachment for a robot to pick and place an object for a customer. The project is a subset of a customer order; the other intern and I will be mirroring the work of the engineers tasked with this customer order. My supervisor informed us that he will show the customer our work after completion to gain real feedback. We will also be visiting a customer site and see the factory settings in which ABB robots are often used. I am eager to observe the customer service end of the engineering projects.
I have gotten to know a few of my coworkers over the summer. One in particular I am close with is Duc, also known as Peter, whom has trained us throughout the summer. He is a young and patient electrical engineer who speaks English fairly well. As he teaches me the ins and outs of the company, I help him strengthen his English with reading and speaking. I have also gotten to know my boss and supervisor over lunch. During they workday, I don’t engage with them often, but I manage to discuss work, school, and my weekend adventures over lunch. My other co-workers do not speak English very well and therefore our conversations are always short.
Overall, living and working in HCMC has been incredible. One thing I have learned is that the world is small despite the distance between homes. There are some differences in myself and my co-workers: the language we speak, the food we eat, and the place we call home. In comparison to what we have in common, the differences are small. For example, Peter and I have a common background of being a young adult with goals to see the world. We can compare university experiences and transitioning into the work field of engineering. We can also compare our childhood games and adventures. It has been less of a culture shock than I had expected it to be.
UF in Vietnam Internship 