First Steps
by Lango Deen
ldeen@ccgmag.com
BUILDING A CAREER STEP BY STEP I
f businesses are built one customer at a time, then so are careers—one job (or internship) at a time. That ap- proach helped Pablo A. Vegas become one of the many success stories for internships and cooperative education. Over five undergraduate years in the University of Michigan (UM) College of Engineering, he did internships at an automaker, a high-tech company, an aviation firm, and a fire equipment maker.
Currently, UM makes over 700 co-ops and internships available to thousands of students at more than 200 employer sites across America.
“Internships are not just a three-month, four-month stop onto the next real job, but rather a significant building block that can be utilized down the road with people you meet and experiences you’ll have,” said Vegas, who was appointed president and chief operating officer for American Electric Power (AEP) Ohio in 2012. Vegas keeps the lights on for 1.5 million customers in Ohio—with respon- sibility for distribution operations, safety and a range of customer and regulatory relationships.
As an entering mechanical engineer- ing freshman, Vegas signed up for the Engineering Cooperative Education Program. By the end of his sophomore year, he had worked with a co-op coordinator in the school to assess his interests. According to UM’s website, the coordinator, who is aware of the needs and preferences of employers, refers students to a co-op employer who matches interests. Through a personal interview, usually held at the company, students and the employer make deci- sions about a job offer and acceptance of an offer.
Pablo Vegas, president and chief operating officer, AEP Ohio, American Electric Power
Vegas began his first co-op under the supervision of practicing engineers at a glass plant in Dearborn, Michigan. He spent a semester doing quality testing. Vega’s second placement took him more than 700 miles south to North Carolina, test- ing communications equipment. He did so well, the com-
www.hispanicengineer.com
pany asked him back. Next was a position at Scott Aviation, in Lancaster, New York, which made respiratory products and systems for the aerospace industry. Vegas did inventory management of air packs used by firemen and in commercial aviation oxygen systems. In his senior year, he filled a slot at a fire truck company in West Virginia.
HISPANIC ENGINEER & Information Technology | Fall 2014 27
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