Collin’s Artisan Experience

Collin Roach is completing his first internship this summer at Artisan Electronics. He is a rising senior at Indiana State University (ISU), where he studies Electronics Engineering Technology and Automotive Technology, making him the perfect fit for the engineering intern position at Artisan this summer. In his role, he has gained not only vast experience in the technology field, but also a cherished sense of community with the team at Artisan.

Artisan made its first impression on Collin when he went to the company’s website and read its core values: “We value people, innovation and technology.” This stuck with him as he explored the work Artisan does. When he received an email from Indiana INTERNnet about the company’s summer internships, it was a no-brainer – Collin applied and accepted a position for the summer.

Although Collin says his coursework at ISU prepared him well for both the practical tasks he does at Artisan and the professionalism that is expected of him, the everyday experience he is getting this summer is still unparalleled. Collin is grateful that he’s already learned more than he expected from this internship – about everything from professionalism to government contracts to printed circuit board design. One thing he still hopes to gain experience with this summer is programming, which is outside of his comfort zone and would be a beneficial challenge for him.

Collin says the most difficult aspect of his summer internship has been organization. Crucial to customer service, organization and documentation needs have challenged Collin to continuously improve his organizational skills and familiarity with Microsoft Word and Excel. This summer, he and other interns at Artisan are working on a project designed by the full-time engineers to simulate an actual government project. It entails coding and running tests using a test bench, as well as creating supporting documentation from scratch.

In addition to valuable hands-on experience, Collin is gaining a network of professionals who have made him feel like a part of the family from the very beginning. “They weren’t lying about the culture at Artisan,” he shared. In addition to providing a weekly lunch for interns, staff at Artisan show they care about their interns by talking with them about life in addition to work. This comfortable culture is essential for a successful team, Collin says: “Working in a place where you feel included and are free to laugh along with your managers is an excellent feeling and really helps when you need guidance with something.” Artisan’s authenticity has been a highlight of Collin’s time there this summer.

Collin has had such a positive experience learning from the staff at Artisan that he says, “I would recommend that anyone who’s looking for an internship in the technology field applies at Artisan on Indiana INTERNnet.” As a final word of advice, Collin suggests: “Make the most of wherever you end up and know that success comes with lots of hard work. Don’t give up until you’re satisfied!”