Goodbye Chicago
 

Well, I'm leaving in a few hours. It's been 9+ long months of skipping school to work as an intern at International Truck and Engine in the engine group headquarters. I have a newfound appreciation for what all of you do working full-time everyday; it certainly is the polar opposite of being an undergrad student. Moreover, I can't put my finger on it, but general perspectives of many aspects of the socio-professional environment, my career goals and vision, etc, have changed greatly over this time.

My job here consisted of Competitive Intelligence and Analysis, mainly revolving around medium and heavy duty on-highway diesel engines. It was primarily mechanical engineering oriented with some market research/intelligence thrown in there. All in all, working with experienced engineers and doing some work for upper-management (which has also resulted in some new mentors), I have come away with a sound knowledge of advanced diesel engine design and a thorough grasp of the heavy-duty on-highway market.

I will be remaining with the company this summer, but have a new position in our Indianapolis plant where the our V8 (known as the Ford Powerstroke) is made. My new job will be Manufacturing Engineering. After talking to my new boss, I foresee myself walking away this summer with good experience in operations, process control, quality/reliability control, machinery upkeep, bit of supply-chain management, etc. This plant has an extremely high output per day, so I hope I make positive impacts as even seemingly minor improvements in efficiency go a long way with this kind of volume.

All of this will end up postponing my graduation by a semester which seems to be worth it. By the time I earn my degree, I will have had solid mechanical engineering background in automotive (engine) focus, good opertaional experience. Between next summer and the following, I am going to get ample supply-chain epxerience as well, and will try my best for global experience (China), for which I will change companies. Very eager to find out how all of this culminates into a full-time position at the end of undergrad.

Really, this will be the first time I will be truly living on my own. I was in college last year and operated from home this year because my parents reside in Chicago as well...should be an interesting few months..still have to find a place to live within the next few days :tsk:. All I can say is that I am loving this part of life. I am experiencing so many new things at such a rapid rate, that affect my overall thought processes and outlook on life. Between college life and this past year, it has been fantastic and I can feel the changes. I hope things keep rolling the way they have been. Looking forward to what lies ahead :thumbup:.


Thanks for listening :).

Vignesh,

Good luck on your move and summer job. Once you are settled in, let me know so we can get together for dinner when I'm in the area. :)

Rob_

Vignesh,

You have a lot of wisdom and maturity for someone as young as you are, and I'm confident that you will choose a path to success. Best of luck with the move!

Jeff

V,
Your are a very intelligent, straightforward and fine young man, imo.

When I was your age I didn't know if my azz was bored or punched...

I'm sure the move to Indy is a good one and you will be cruising when you get back to Purdue this fall.

I wish you well and Good Luck!
BR, Ol'UncMotor

Good luck Vig,
You have a great head on your shoulders for one so young. Do me favor, use it to come up with a diesel truck engine that gets more than 5.5 mpg, fuel consumption is killing me! Enjoy!

Good luck buddy... Make sure you get your Indy 500 and US Grand Prix ticket requests in asap! :)

Thanks guys.

This past year was kinda rough in that not only did I have to interact with my parents on a daily basis..again :tsk: :rofl:, but all my friends were away from school so not many people were around to hang out with other than friends from work. I could always come here and kick it back with you guys...so thankyou to all of you for making this the great place that it is :thumbup:. Also, I really enjoy the company and personal relationships with those of you that have become good friends.

Very well written Vinu. I wish the best of luck to you in your endeavors :thumbup:

Vignesh - Frankly, I thought that you were one of the older established forum members because of the intellect and maturity shown in your posts. Then I saw from your posts that you were still in college which impressed me even more. It's obvious that that you possess many qualities and skills that will pave your way to success in all your endeavors.

Reach high! The sky is the limit for you. Good luck in all that you do.

V, good luck with the move and finding a place. Looks like you have a bright future ahead of you.

Congrats V..

smart move and congrats! a big part of many auto/engine makers manufacturing process is based heavily on six sigma. It is a big part outside of the engineering piece that many organizations nowadays are participating in along with the IEEE standards. The process itself (green belt and black belt levels) are well worth learning and understanding as that is again a growing standard to minimize manuafacturing ineffiencies and costs.

Word to the wise - you can't be good at everything but being diverse in your training/education/experience while specializing in one will make you a very sought after individual! good luck. :thumbup:

Congrats Vig! That's awesome news and I'm sure you'll definitely be very good in your next endeavor. It was definitely nice to have met you in person and seeing how humble you are despite your accomplishments and bright future.

Congrats and good luck, Vig!
Be sure to stay in touch and let me know if you need anything. :thumbup:

Excellent perspective grasshopper. You've got a solid start, a clear vision of where you want to go, and the drive to get there which means you're destined for success. God speed!

I, too, thought you were one of the "older" members based on your posts. Your maturity far surpasses your chronologic age. Congratulations! :thumbup: The world is yours.

Good luck, Vinu. I thought you were as old as MD minus the fookin words:jk:. My son keeps asking for you, his new pal. Since your parents are here I am sure you will be dropin by now and then. Give me a shout when in town and will get together. :thumbup:

Congrats and Goodluck to you! :thumbup:

Good luck, Vig. I know you'll do well. :thumbup:

Hey Vignesh,

Congratulations. :thumbup:

Having had the pleasure to have met you in person, I echo the sentiments posted here. You are wise beyond your years, intelligent, hard-working, and focused. Then again, I'd expect nothing less from a young sprout who wanted to be a neurosurgeon when he grew up. :) To quote motordavid, "You're a fine young man," very polite, well-spoken, and personable, too.

Continue to keep your eye on the ball. You're going places.

Best wishes for continued success.

Ken

Vignesh.
I haven't had the pleasure to have meet you in person but after reading this post i have to agree with the rest in wishing you success. I would say good luck but for people like yourself luck will have nothing to do with your success. Your hard work and great attitude will provide you with all the success you deserve.

Have a great transition...I think it's great that you are part of process that actually manufactures and exports something besides pop culture. That Powerstroke is a great motor.

Congrats and good luck bro, College years are the best years so enjoy it!

Really happy for you, Vig. You are making some great decisions and showing a lot of good long term planning. International is a great company to gain experience with. You are going far my friend. ;)

Good luck Vin,

Manufacturing and Engineering is the place to be!

Congratulations, and best of luck, Vig! :thumbup:

Juan

vignesh-

outstanding. don't forget you have a wealth of resources in information (and friendship) to rely on here.

point your ship in the right direction and cast-off! its the most awesome feeling in the world. we have NO DOUBT that you will do well.

-d

ps thanks for pm; i'll answer you soon! -d

Vignesh,

You are a very mature young man, with a kind heart and a bright future. I am very impressed by your focus. Please come visit us again soon we very much enjoy your company.

Congrats and good luck buddy.

Awesome move homey! choices like the one you just made is what separates you from the masses... keep it up!

we're keeping an eye on you young grasshopper ;)

Vig, good luck with the new course you're steering towards! It was a pleasure to meet you, and stop buying those one-way airline tix, man:)

JV

Thanks for the well-wishes everyone! You guys flatter me much more than I deserve. I'd love to get together with anyone in the area. Rob and I will get together for sure, so anyone reading this is more than welcome to join us.

Once again, thanks for the encouragement. I hope everything is going well with all of you guys.


Vignesh

You guys are going to kill me....road trips here, there, everywhere....:rofl: :rofl:

Sweet, I'll let you know when :D. Joanna's gonna kill you if you mention another roadtrip, lol.

You driving to Tri-state meet? Can't miss that. ;)

I'm there :D

Of course I am tardy on the reply again !!!!!!!!! Congrats Vig !!!!!!! This is an awesome move for you and I'm certain you'll do well, considering you are not like any 19 year old i've ever known with the intelligence you have when it comes to automobiles and such. I wish you nothing but the best and we'll have to all try and get together before you go. :thumbup: :)

Thanks Joanna! I'll be home this weekend. Perhaps, we can get together sometime. Haven't seen Sandy in a while either :).