Tesla

Quality Engineer Intern

January - August 2021 • Palo Alto, CA

What I liked

Working environment and amazing coworkers

What I wish was different

The overall pace of internship was a bit too fast which rendered the learning experience too hasty

Advice

It is good to be a independent and self-learning individual if you want to work at a company with culture like Tesla

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Sales advisor

November 2020 - July 2021 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Fast moving

What I wish was different

The pay, they underpaid you bc of age/experience

Advice

Do your DD before joining

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Manufacturing Engineer

May - August 2017 • Fremont, CA

What I liked

Tesla not only expects you to operate as full-time employee while being an intern but also expects you to grow and learn as a student. You're held to a higher standard of work than most companies because you were selected over thousands of others to be there.

What I wish was different

Was assigned to more indivual projects rather than team assignments.

Advice

Expect to work long hours but don’t think working a lot translates to accomplishing a lot. Don't expect to have your hand held. Seek out new work and projects. Compensation is good, housing relocation assistance is provided.

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Demand Generation Intern

August - November 2020 • Palo Alto, CA

What I liked

I ran my own outbound sales campaigns, created my own content for marketing campaigns, designed my own research tests, and contributed ideas for social media that were reviewed by Elon Musk.

What I wish was different

approval processes

Advice

Be as creative as possible and use first principles thinking.

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IT Operations Intern

June 2020 • Fremont, CA

What I liked

Environment and coworkers

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Apply anywhere and everywhere, you never know what you might get into

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Technical Writing Intern

August 2020 • Buffalo, NY

What I liked

Tesla's open-mindedness mentality is my favorite part of the company. They allow anyone to pitch their idea for how to make the work we do better, no matter if you've been a part of the team for 1 week or 10 years. I was able to identify problems I saw coming in and my proposed solution to the team with very little experience; regardless, they listened, we implemented it, and it's made a real impact.

What I wish was different

I wish there were more interns during my term, as we saw much more potential in the projects we worked on but didn't have the bandwidth for.

Advice

Actively identifying issues and having a "continuous improvement" mentality is the best way to get a job done.

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Manufacturing Intern

January - August 2020 • Sparks, NV

What I liked

It is a fast paced environment and I was surrounded by the smartest people.

What I wish was different

Nothing.

Advice

Apply for the job you want!

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Autopilot Hardware Intern

January - August 2020 • Palo Alto, CA

What I liked

The fast-paced environment and meeting very fun people that I worked with on a daily basis.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have stayed in-person for the entire duration of my internship, but with COVID, moved to remote a few months in.

Advice

Be comfortable with the fast-paced environment and ask questions! Everyone is really nice and will be glad to answer your questions.

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Engineering

January 2018 • Buffalo, NY

What I liked

I am currently member of the power electronics manufacturing engineering team, and we worked together on a variety of large-scale projects where each of us was responsible for one part of the project. I really enjoyed the teamwork aspect of the job, and liked seeing how all the pieces of our projects came together in the end. The teamwork aspect of that job — and this job — is something that greatly appeals to me, because I typically end up learning a lot about what I’m capable of when working in synch with others.

What I wish was different

More of a work-school balance, hours.

Advice

Never give up on a challenging problem, as an engineer it’s your duty to solve that problem.

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Mechanical Engineer

August 2018 - May 2019 • Sparks, NV

What I liked

The autonomy and cutting edge processes of the company and valuable hands on experience I received there.

What I wish was different

The drive out to the factory, it was terrible.

Advice

Be prepared for long hours and a lot of responsibility, but good coworkers and solid work environment.

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Delivery specialist

May 2019 • Tempe, AZ

What I liked

Company goals and policies, forward thinking field of work.

What I wish was different

Advice

Be patient with hiring process

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Tesla Adviser

September 2017 • Glen Allen, VA

What I liked

I liked the idea of working for a company that seemed to be focused on a mission of sustainability.

What I wish was different

In the last two years I have worked here they have found multiple ways to continually cut our pay while telling us to be scrappy. When we pushed back to ask for something more equitable they denied us our rights. I wish this company was focused on a true model of sustainability and not just a show to everyone looking in.

Advice

If you value yourself do not work here. Yes it sounds cool and impresses people. They do not treat you well as an employee.

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Business Administration Intern

June 2019 • Fremont, CA

What I liked

I liked how fast paced the learning and growth was. I feel like I’ve learned so much and have only been there for a few months.

What I wish was different

I wish there were more interns, I was the only college intern in the legal department so I felt left out.

Advice

Always give your all because you don’t know who is watching. Always be ready to learn.

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Engineering Design Intern

June 2019 • Fremont, CA

What I liked

I loved that I was given full ownership and responsibility to design my own part of the vehicle. My managers were really hardworking and interesting people that motivated me to do my best work.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Delivery Experience Specialist

May - July 2019 • Tempe, AZ

What I liked

It was fun, lots of opportunities. Fun cars to drive around and showcase for customers

What I wish was different

I wish I wasn't so busy in the summer to focus more on doing a good job

Advice

Wear sunscreen, sometimes you have to inspect vehicles in a parking lot and the sun burns in the summer

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Manufacturing Design Engineering Intern

August 2019 • Sparks, NV

What I liked

I worked on the process development battery manufacturing team. My team's priority was to increase production yield, reduce OPEX, and further develop autonomous processes. The projects that I worked on had direct impact on the success of the company. Hence, perfection and skill is expected. I really liked the main project that I was assigned. I was a project manager for the design and development of a gantry. I assigned tasks to automation development engineers, manufacturing engineers, created a budget, and proposed the project charter for executive approval. This has been by fourth internship during my undergraduate program, and I have done more in the first two months at Tesla than I have in the 12 months of previous work experience. I would also like to mention that interns typically work 45-50 hrs/week, but it depends on the timing and the goals of the company.

What I wish was different

The management is a bit unclear. Expect to be thrown in an ocean and to teach yourself how to swim.

Advice

The Gigafactory is the best place to work from a financial perspective. Housing is free, cost of living is low, and pay is high. Information is currency, especially at Tesla. You will be viewed as a valuable asset if you become an expert in what you are working on. This can lead to a full time offer. It is not discretely mentioned, but you must have work experience prior to coming to Tesla. GPA is not heavily taken into account. There are some interns whose GPA is below 3.0.

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Electrical Engineering Intern

May 2019 • Sparks, NV

What I liked

I was given responsibilities comparable to that of a full-time engineer and was trusted to complete critical projects. There was a lot of freedom and flexibility in what I did and other team members were always willing to answer questions. I have been able to learn a lot in a short period of time and greatly value the experience.

What I wish was different

At times, expectations were vague and the workload was light. I'd prefer to be constantly busy

Advice

Be a self starter. Ask for more tasks, and be willing to do things outside of your comfort zone.

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Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering Intern

March - June 2019 • Fremont, CA

What I liked

I loved my team, my job function, and all the things I was able to learn.

What I wish was different

My experience and knowledge about the relocation.

Advice

It's a fantastic place, and personally it was an absolutely wonderful experience. For several other interns, it was not as enjoyable. It definitely depends on the type of work you are looking for.

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Intern Energy Product Engineering

August 2018 • San Rafael, CA

What I liked

My team was flexible with my schedule. Everyone worked well and was independent. Feedback was provided frequently. Many intern events!

What I wish was different

The connection between the remote office, due to distance, and the typically thought of locations (Palo Alto, Fremont) was very weak. I have the badge and walk through the door, but the office is rather small. It makes it a little less stressful than it should be. It didn't help that my commute from SJSU to the office was long and that many intern events were at Fremont or Palo Alto.

Advice

Always show your results, no matter the progress and try to improve constantly.. I've worked it out with my boss in weekly meetings on my tasks and I'm always mentioning how I should improve it. Sometimes, the best critique is from yourself.

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Orientation and Onboarding Intern

May - August 2018 • Fremont, CA

What I liked

I really liked what Tesla stands for, as I am very passionate about sustainability. I really believe that my job was making a difference in this world, so I was extremely motivated to come in to work. I also loved working with the Orientation team, as I was able to meet people in all different roles of the company, from VPs to engineers to sales people and production associates! I was able to partake in their first impression of Tesla, and I am so grateful!

What I wish was different

I wish there had been more leadership and professional development for myself and the other interns on my team. However, this encouraged me to take a very independent role in my networking, and I was very proud of how many people I connected with and how many doors were opened because of it!

Advice

I would definitely encourage those who are working in corporate culture to branch out and network with other teams/parts of the company. I got the opportunity to work with three other teams while working at Tesla, including the Sustainability Team, and the Energy Operations team, enhancing my learning experience drastically.

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