Seth talks to us about his experiences as an intern at OCI Methanol North America over two summers and gives his advice to other students looking for internships.
Seth, how would you introduce yourself to someone for the first time outside of work?
I’m Seth, I’m a senior Chemical Engineering major at the University of Alabama. A lot of people are surprised when they hear I’m an Engineering major because I don’t necessarily fit the stereotype of an engineer but I have always just known Engineering is for me, right from day one playing with Lego all the way through growing up, taking classes in high school and now studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Alabama and doing an internship at OCI.
This was your second internship with OCI, why did you choose to come back?
Last summer I worked at a chemical plant with another company, which was very technical and specific. It was a valuable experience but having seen both the technical and business sides of engineering, I decided I preferred the business side and asked to come back to OCI as an intern for this summer. There’s always so much going on here that there’s never a shortage of work, and it was nice to come back to a company, culture and people I was already familiar with.
How have you grown during your internship?
The two internships I’ve had here have been unique opportunities to develop skills I would never have had the opportunity to develop at university. From knowing how to present to financial modelling. Those are skills I’ve learnt as an intern which will be important in my future career.
What do OCI’s sustainability ambitions and strategy mean to you?
I’m very appreciative of it. I hope to be around for a while yet! So, taking care of the world is really important to me. Having the chance to work on projects where we’re looking at ways to power a cleaner future has been really exciting and it’s great to see the progress being made across the company.
Why should people do internships at OCI?
You have the opportunity to work on a very wide range of things. There’s very little bureaucracy or hierarchy and you can get involved in lots of different projects and aspects of the business. That might mean working on three projects at the same time as well as all the workstreams connected to them, and understanding the impact they have on the company and the bigger picture of the opportunity not just for us, but for the wider industry.
Finally, what advice would you give people looking for internships?
Be receptive and open to opportunities. Even if that’s outside of your comfort zone. Internships are great because you get the chance to sample something different. Take those opportunities to try something out of your field, improve your perspective and broaden your skills. It’ll be an invaluable learning experience.
Find out more about how you could play your part in shaping the future here.
