Cleveland-Cliffs

Co-op Maintenance Engineer

January - July 2022 • Middletown, OH

What I liked

I liked how I was treated at this company. If I ever had any questions, there was always someone who could answer it. My coworkers would include me when they would be working on a part. The company also treats their employees fairly. My bosses also treated everyone with respect.

What I wish was different

There is not much I would want to be different during my work term. We are still working every day to make Cleveland-Cliffs a safer environment. We are also working on making the company better for the environment. I do hope that in my continued work experience I will be able to handle bigger projects. I also would like to do a little more design work.

Advice

My advice would be to ask as many questions as you can. The best way to learn how everything works is to ask questions about how each machine works. Another piece of advice I have would be walking around on your own. There is a lot you can find on your own, then you can go and ask someone a question about what you found. During my time here I would find something new to learn everyday by walking around alone.

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Engineer Co-op

January - May 2022 • Middletown, OH

What I liked

I had the ability to work on a couple of projects which were both significant and interesting. There was less "academic" engineering than I would have expected, with more of an emphasis on coordinating and setting up projects to be completed by other employees or contractors. However, this ended up giving me the ability to get exposure to a number of different cross-disciplinary projects, and to work with several different departments. Drafting and modeling was a major part of my experience, which I enjoyed. Overall, I had a good experience, and was able to interact with a lot of large and powerful machinery.

What I wish was different

Unfortunately due to the length of time I spent with the company, I was not able to see some of the projects I started and worked on through to completion. While I categorically enjoyed the work I did on those projects, it was frustrating to not be able to see a lot of that work come to fruition. Since Cliffs is such an established company, much of the equipment I worked on was old, and thus the timeframe to gather information and make repairs was fairly long. This meant that it could sometimes be discouraging to work on certain projects, due to the amount of legwork required to gather info before doing any actual engineering work. Personally, while I worked very closely with my boss and occasionally with other engineers, I would have enjoyed being able to work more in conjunction with hourly workers to bring new projects from inception to finish.

Advice

Walking into a production line your first week is super intimidating. In most cases, it will probably feel like drinking from a fire hose for the first month or so - don't get discouraged. A lot of the employees at Cliffs have been with the company for a decade or more on a specific line, and a lot of the things that are second nature to them take time for a new employee to learn. While the sheer amount of information can be overwhelming, you will learn a LOT over time. Moreover, once you've spent some time at the company, the projects other people are working on will be ones you've seen from the beginning, and so you'll get a much better understanding of what's going on after a couple months.

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Summer Worker

June - August 2019 • Middletown, OH

What I liked

I enjoyed the unique experience of seeing the entire steel production process from refining iron ore to hot and cold rolling, and I enjoyed touring each department of the steel plant.

What I wish was different

The large majority of my work was landscape and grounds management: while I was aware of this when I took the job, the work was still a lot of physical labor and could be taxing on hot days. If I had the opportunity, I would have taken a job that was more relevant to my college major and career interests.

Advice

Know what to expect from a job in advance: if your work is primarily physical labor in direct sunlight in the middle of the summer, account for the heat and accumulated exhaustion. Know whether or not you may be exposed to dangerous elements including wildlife, hazardous gases, and heat sicknesses, and follow training protocols.

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Maintenance Engineering Co-op

May 2018 • Middletown, OH

What I liked

I really enjoy the real-world experience I am gaining throughout my co-op. Each day is different and filled with new learning opportunities. My supervisor is an excellent mentor and makes me feel like a part of the team. I enjoy going to work everyday and I enjoy the in depth projects I am working on.

What I wish was different

Advice

When you're working as an intern or co-op, don't be afraid to ask questions. You're there to learn and gain real-world experience in your field. The more questions you ask, the faster you'll learn about the field and the more you'll understand the company you work for.

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Customer Technical Service Intern

June - August 2018 • Middletown, OH

What I liked

Ever-changing and intriguing Difficult and unique

What I wish was different

Further understanding of how defects occur

Advice

Be prepared to leave your comfort zone to get further experience

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Process Engineering Intern

May 2017 • Middletown, OH

What I liked

Excellent first engineering internship, I learned a lot from it. Very down-to-earth, traditional engineering experience. It was definitely a taste of real-world challenges.

What I wish was different

I wish there had been a bit more clear direction and feedback. I had a great level of autonomy, which was nice for the flexibility I had available to pursue questions that I had, but I would have liked more pointers on what to keep doing and do differently.

Advice

Take in as much information as you can and ask thought-out questions (not just whatever comes to mind first).

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Process Engineer

May 2018 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

I learned skills that I had not previously learned in school. In school I had not previously learned a lot about the steel making process, specifically galvanizing. I learned a ton during my internship about steel finishing processes.

What I wish was different

I wished I had toured the other facilities at the plant more.

Advice

Ask questions it is the best way to learn.

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Cold Mill Maitenance

May - August 2019 • Middletown, OH

What I liked

I was given a great amount of freedom to work on my main project. I did my own research and got to come up with solutions on my own which allowed me to learn a great amount about problem solving, project management, and gain an understanding of how a steel mill operates. I also had a great supervisor that would help me when I encountered a problem and also give feedback to ideas that I had.

What I wish was different

The only thing that I wish would have been different is that I would have gotten the opportunity to work on more projects. With the summer semester being shorter than others I did not have as much time with the company to work on other projects. In the future I may end up accepting a position with the company which will give me a chance to build on my current experience and be involved in other interesting projects.

Advice

I would highly recommend a position like this to anyone looking for an engineering or operations management position. There are many opportunities for success and experience as well as knowledge to gain from working at a place that produces such a high demand product like steel. Even if this position isn't a match for you, I still think internships of any kind are a great way to get experience while in school and gives you a connection to a company that may hire you full time after graduation.

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Software Engineering Intern

January - August 2019 • Butler, PA

What I liked

Being part of a team.

What I wish was different

Nothing. I loved it.

Advice

Ask as many questions as you can, everyone will be willing to teach you something. Make sure you go on a plant tour!

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Process Automation Intern

May - July 2019 • Calvert, AL

What I liked

I liked working on applications that were actually used in the plant I liked seeing my improvements to the application all across the plant I liked that they were very organized, and always had something for me to do once I completed a task I liked that they were flexible.

What I wish was different

I honestly cannot think of anything.

Advice

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Mechanical Engineer Intern

May 2018 • Virginia, MN

What I liked

Friendly Co-workers. Gained a lot of new information

What I wish was different

Better organization

Advice

If you are considering a internship do it. Great experience and well worth it

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OpTech Engineer

August 2018 • East Chicago, IN

What I liked

Very friendly coworkers, helped every step of the way in getting started at the company.

What I wish was different

Advice

Make sure to study the area around where the job will be located to ensure you will enjoy being there.

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HR Intern

May - August 2018 • East Chicago, IN

What I liked

I liked how structured the internship was. I liked how well exposed I was to what an HR generalist does on a daily business. I liked how during the entire internship I was consistently encouraged to learn. Overall I enjoyed the culture of the company, the variety of tasks I was assigned and learning more about human resources.

What I wish was different

I wish I had a longer internship with them and could have worked in another area of HR with the extended time.

Advice

Asked for more projects that even slightly intrigues interest.

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Associate Electrical Engineer Intern

May - August 2018 • East Chicago, IN

What I liked

They had a lot of intern events to get to know your fellow interns. They gave me a meaningful project to work on, as well as some job shadowing. Good pay.

What I wish was different

Advice

This is an opportunity to show your worth to the company. Kind of like a summer-long interview. Work hard and show that you can be a valued member of the company.

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