**I have decided to write about my Cummins Internship experience in a manner which is quite different to blogs that I normally write. I ll try to make is more politically correct and less offensive.**
Getting an Internship in multiple companies was a pleasant surprise to me.
I chose Cummins for multiple reasons:
1. Their work was more suited to experienced people like me.
2. They hired mostly experienced people in my feild in IT.
3. They offered a good compensation.
4. There is a good chance (based on my performance) of converting my internship into a full-time opportunity. Many of my seniors, who were interns, are now working full-time there.
5. They easily sponsor H1B visa which was important for international student like me.
I was interviewed by my current Manager Ken. He is a nice, soft spoken person who is always willing to help me with my problems. During my interview he asked me few technical and behavioral questions. The interview was for exactly 40 minutes. At Cummins you can expect timeliness.
I received a letter from HR in few weeks and after that lot of communication started.
A thing that really struck me was the professional manner in which communication would happen.
The company reimbursed all the relocation expenses incurred. This was a relief to me as a student I am always a bit cash strapped!
A brief Background of Cummins:
It is one of the Fortune 500 companies.
Its annual revenue is $13.23 billion USD (2010).
It is divided into 4 major business units - Engine business, Power Generation Business, Components business and Filter Business.
Engine business is the biggest business. It supplies diesel engines for bigger vehicles like Dodge Ram,Volvo Trucks etc.
Power Generation (For which I am working) is also a big business. They manufacture Diesel Generators and alternators for consumers.
They have factories in Fridley, US , Pune,India, Wuhan,China, Brazil etc.
For more information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cummins
Currently, Cummins generates more revenue outside, then in US.
The Orientation: Cummins made it mandatory for all their interns to attend one and a half day orientation in their headquarters in Columbus, IN. Columbus is a small town, about 50 miles from Indianapolis. It has a population of around 40,000 people. Though I didn't get a chance to explore the town, I sensed that Cummins wields a lot of influence in this area . The founder Irwin Miller had considerable influence on downtown Columbus architecture.
Cummins had arranged for everything right from transportation, accommodation to meals for the interns. It was really nice to see how the company cared for the interns. It is normally known that Cummins generally hires their interns for full-time positions. The internship program is to gauge the intern for his/her capabilities. The same thing also applies for the intern whether the company is suitable for him/her.
The accommodation was arranged in hotel Indigo. There were more than 100 interns from different fields and different schools. I was amazed to see such a diversity in the company!
There were people from different countries like India, China, Korea, Brazil etc.
There were Graduates, Undergraduates, MBAs
There were Mechanical engineers, Electrical engineers, Accounting graduates.... I was the only one from IT in that batch of interns.
One observed pattern was that most of the students were from schools near the east cost rather than west. That was obvious considering the location of the company. I was the only one form Arizona, rest all were from Indiana,Michigan,Minnesota, Dakotas, Carolinas etc.
The orientation began in the morning with the program coordinator taking control of the session. Everybody was asked to introduce him/her-self and explain why did they chose Cummins. Many serious and many funny answers came up:
"I see a great future for myself in this company!"
"Cause nobody else hired me..."
"Big Bucks!..."
Then followed a brief introduction about the company and its vision.
What really made me happy is that we all got Brand new Lenovo laptops. It really made my day. Setting up the laptop and email was very slow and childlike, for an IT person like me but I knew there were few in the room who didn't know 'C' of Computers.I was getting a company email ID after almost an year. (***.***@cummins.com)
We were also introduced to different company policies and documentation needed for employment.
Then photographs for ID. Ahh! Ill get a company ID.....!
Our day ended at five with all the things happening fast. Next 1/2 a day we had a plant tour to the Cummins engine testing facility. It was a nice learning experience to see what actually happens on the shop floor.
That afternoon was the time to leave for Minneapolis for my actual internship. So about 15-20 interns were dropped by a shuttle to Indianapolis Airport! From there began my real internship journey.
Next: First day at the Fridley office.
