Pros
The internship program hosted by Lumentum was phenomenal. I had the unique opportunity to work on new projects of which I had sole ownership, and novel concepts that both challenged and engaged me. I was able to apply many of the skills I had acquired in my time in college and worked with exceptional employees who both mentored and advised me and, when the internship reached its end, advocated for my continued employment. The projects given to me were not only valuable assets to the success of the company, but were opportunities to generate revenue while seeing designs through from conception to completion. Although I was able to use familiar software like SolidWorks, I learned much more than I thought I would about internal development systems, working with suppliers and vendors, and working in a functionally diverse business unit. The internship organizers also did an outstanding job of keeping the energy and enthusiasms of all of the interns up. A sense of community was fostered by multiple offsite intern events that included both the interns and their mentors. These events were fun, inclusive, and valuable team building opportunities. Overall the internship was a success for both the company and for me personally, and was no doubt a precursor for many more eventful internships in the future.
Cons
Though the offsite internship events helped create a sense of community for the interns throughout the company, it was difficult to develop a network that included all of the fellow interns in the short time that the program ran.