Aspiring Engineers: Cycling industry wants you

[William]

Engineering Internship

NEXT OPEN POSITION BEGINS MID-AUGUST

Applications will be considered until the position is filled

This is a 6 month, full time, paid (hourly) position and also offers free housing.

We Offer

Competitive pay & free housing in Morgan Hill (up to 6 months)
Experience in the cycling industry…a foot in the door
Ride the best bikes on earth, fun social events, cool people to work with
Totally casual work environment, dog bellies to rub and an endless supply of espresso…

Prerequisites

You must be currently enrolled in an engineering program at an accredited college or university
Juniors or Seniors only (you should at least be finishing your junior year when applying)
Strong academics are essential
Enrolled in a bike building class or a member of your school’s HPV team
Working in your school’s machine shop a plus
You must have a relationship with bikes: whether you ride to class every day or you race every weekend...



http://tbe.taleo.net/NA1/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SPECIALIZED&cws=59&rid=321





William

[Louis]

Totally casual work environment, dog bellies to rub and an endless supply of espresso…

Sounds to me more like a software job than a hardware job.

[echappist]

Sounds like a good internship for a very SPECIAL engineering student

[mvrider]

Specialized must be growing like mad. They have 55 openings for full-time hires, most of them in Morgan Hill:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/careers/#dreamjobs

[peanutgallery]

opening for a legal assistant, wonder who's gonna get sued now?

[Earl Gray]

Best part of the ad is in the "DESIRED SKILLSET" section

The Knack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qDSvfpaGiI

[1centaur]

You could field test carbon fiber rims in the local hills:

A majority of projects will include some level of experimental testing in either the test lab or in the field (or both).

3D modeling of any specific fixtures which are needed for testing
Data analysis of test results

An example of a project is a wheel/heat research project based in carbon fiber rims from braking

[tannhauser]

Specialized must be growing like mad. They have 55 openings for full-time hires, most of them in Morgan Hill:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/careers/#dreamjobs

Don't know how much they're growing, but Specialized tends to burn out employees pretty quickly judging from the anecdotes of a friend.

Get 'em young, energetic & idealistic.

[Kirk Pacenti]

Don't know how much they're growing, but Specialized tends to burn out employees pretty quickly judging from the anecdotes of a friend.

Get 'em young, energetic & idealistic.

^^^^
This.

I've heard it described as a 'meat grinder' from more than a few former employees.

[eddief]

plentiful, especially for students and new college grads, it is always a good idea to poo poo an internship at a premier successful bike manufacturer. get ground up a little and move on if you don't like it anymore.

^^^^
This.

I've heard it described as a 'meat grinder' from more than a few former employees.

[firerescuefin]

plentiful, especially for students and new college grads, it is always a good idea to poo poo an internship at a premier successful bike manufacturer. get ground up a little and move on if you don't like it anymore.

I don't think it's a criticism....just a statement from someone inside the industry, that I imagine is a fact....probably like an IB analyst.

[tannhauser]

plentiful, especially for students and new college grads, it is always a good idea to poo poo an internship at a premier successful bike manufacturer. get ground up a little and move on if you don't like it anymore.

What's up w/the sarcasm? Where's an engineer to go in the bike industry after the big S?

Kids don't like being perceived as ground meat, much like all human beings.

It is their lives; there is no need for you to judge it.

[tannhauser]

Look, here's an anecdote: a friend is a very smart guy with multiple degrees in mechanical engineering and design, turned down a big S job because of its rep and its remote location.

It's no different from a Goog or Apple campus, other than the fact the bike people tend to, y'know, like a bit of fresh air at times.

Therein lies the rub.

Also Sinyard isn't the nicest autocrat/visionary to work for.

[Louis]

As much fun as this might be, living bikes 24 hours a day, I don't think I would want my play to be that closely related to my work. Heck, even attending NAHBS (or whatever it is they call that big bike show) for just one weekend got old after a while. If I were to do something like this I'd be afraid that after a while bikes might no longer be the joy they are today.

[1happygirl]

As much fun as this might be, living bikes 24 hours a day, I don't think I would want my play to be that closely related to my work. Heck, even attending NAHBS (or whatever it is they call that big bike show) for just one weekend got old after a while. If I were to do something like this I'd be afraid that after a while bikes might no longer be the joy they are today.

extremely well put.

[Kirk Pacenti]

Look, here's an anecdote: a friend is a very smart guy with multiple degrees in mechanical engineering and design, turned down a big S job because of its rep and its remote location.

It's no different from a Goog or Apple campus, other than the fact the bike people tend to, y'know, like a bit of fresh air at times.

Therein lies the rub.

Also Sinyard isn't the nicest autocrat/visionary to work for.

I've turned down several offers from S for similar reasons.

[eddief]

that was brought up by the OP. Not a life sentence. The hands on experience for a college student would probably be well worth whatever the company or the leader or the other evil doers (my guess exaggerated by 250%) could do to you in a short period of time. If you are not experienced and successful as Kirk Pacenti then your first hands on is pivotal in getting there. Then you could go to work at Enve making forks or Zoltek making blades for wind turbines.

[David Kirk]

Way back in the day I had an all day job interview with Burton Snowboards and I was super excited at the beginning of the day and MUCH less so at the end of it. It was obvious that despite their efforts to make it a fun and lively place to work (like everyone bringing their dogs to work) that it was an extremely stressful place to work. I talked in private to a few old timers - those that had been there a year or more! - and they told me the turnover was huge and you could feel it in the place. No one had personal belongings or photos on their desks........I guess they knew they should fully move it as they weren't going to be there that long. At the end of the interview I told the folks there that the job wasn't for me and the response was a resounding "whatevah" and they didn't even thank me for driving 6 hours and being there all day. Professional?

Right after I left Serotta I was contacted by the Big S and they gave me the big shine and asked me to come and interview. Fair or not it felt like the Burton deal. I felt like they would have gotten as much Serotta knowledge as they could and then kicked me to the curb and replaced me with an unpaid intern.

Life is too short for this kind of stuff.

Dave

[eddief]

never ever disagree with two Kirk's in the same discussion :).

and I promise I now hate my Roubaix and everything it stands for.

[firerescuefin]

never ever disagree with two Kirk's in the same discussion :).

and I promise I now hate my Roubaix and everything it stands for.

I didn't disagree with any of your previous posts....but those guys takes matching says a lot about the perception of the company. Hard to have it all...as the EU and we are finding out.

[David Kirk]

I didn't disagree with any of your previous posts....but those guys takes matching says a lot about the perception of the company. Hard to have it all...as the EU and we are finding out.

To be fair my personal experience was more than 10 years ago and a lot can change in that time.

I also think they put out some top notch stuff - I just hope the young folks working at all hours have something to show for it in the end.

Dave

[Lovetoclimb]

Full time employed engineer in a job I thought would be long term career. Turns out I hate it, and actually my general career direction to date. So I think why continue to spend 40+ hrs/wk doing something I have zero interest in. The first answer is the golden handcuffs: hard to walk away from a salary that provides a level of comfort, allows my cycling purchases, etc. The second answer is the industries I feel strongly about joining are difficult to get into especially since I have spent 5 years now specializing in something not directly related to their lines of business. Regarding Specialized, I have applied for 2 engineering jobs that I felt "qualified" for, one almost 2 months ago now. No word yet, not even a rejection which leads me to believe I am not what they are looking for there. So I continue searching hoping for the right opportunities to open so I may create the life changes I am pretty certain I want.

This is not a "woe is me" post, only pointing out myself as someone looking to get in to Specialized, and out of Ohio in exchange for NorCal. Maybe I will just start farming in the Blue Ridge mountains near Asheville . . .

[eddief]

good internships are few and far between and worth their weight in gold = future $$$$ and opportunities. I actually think most corporations are evil, but not everyone can choose and make happen self employment with a view of the Rockies. So they gotta take a more traditional route through the hoops and those often involve the evil empires. I was concerned about the broad brush bad mouthing of big S getting in the way of someone's future view of the Rockies. Hey, that's what I want too.

[tannhauser]

Right after I left Serotta I was contacted by the Big S and they gave me the big shine and asked me to come and interview. Fair or not it felt like the Burton deal. I felt like they would have gotten as much Serotta knowledge as they could and then kicked me to the curb and replaced me with an unpaid intern.



Or they might have sued you if your name is Volagi for daring to paint a bike red and black.

[tannhauser]

good internships are few and far between and worth their weight in gold = future $$$$ and opportunities. I actually think most corporations are evil, but not everyone can choose and make happen self employment with a view of the Rockies. So they gotta take a more traditional route through the hoops and those often involve the evil empires. I was concerned about the broad brush bad mouthing of big S getting in the way of someone's future view of the Rockies. Hey, that's what I want too.

Like a prospective intern is reading this board to help him decide his career path from the Big S to ENVE -- am I reading your comments correctly? There is a reason 55 positions are being actively recruited in this "wonderful economy".

PS If you have a Roubaix fine, I have big S bikes. Doesn't make "bad mouthing denying career aspirations" any less of a red herring.

[eddief]

and I am sure you are correct.

Like a prospective intern is reading this board to help him decide his career path from the Big S to ENVE -- am I reading your comments correctly? There is a reason 55 positions are being actively recruited in this "wonderful economy".

PS If you have a Roubaix fine, I have big S bikes. Doesn't make "bad mouthing denying career aspirations" any less of a red herring.

[Chance]

As much fun as this might be, living bikes 24 hours a day, I don't think I would want my play to be that closely related to my work. Heck, even attending NAHBS (or whatever it is they call that big bike show) for just one weekend got old after a while. If I were to do something like this I'd be afraid that after a while bikes might no longer be the joy they are today.

Agree. Although not bad opportunity as a temporary job. As a permanent position working in bike business may not help build for other engineering positions. Just guessing bike experience wouldn't carry much weight (no pun intended).

[TomNguyen]

I would love to apply... but alas,

"Enrolled in a bike building class or a member of your school’s HPV team"

this is a tough requirement to meet...

[John H.]

I know of at least one former engineer and I know a good chunk of the current carbon bike engineering staff at Specialized.
The former engineer was a framebuilder for Schwinn in the Waterford days- he took a promising job at Specialized as a prototype engineer (in the 90's). He left in less than a year. In his words he never built anything- he just "schlepped parts" from one area to another.
That said- all of the currents that I know there love their jobs. Yes, they work hard and could make more money in other industries, but they get to design, make and test carbon bikes. Also, Specialized is way into R&D and they have more resources than most bike companies to invest in this technology.
To them- it is like working in Santas workshop.
I also hear that interships at Specialized are cake. They don't want to scare off perspective employees.

[Louis]

Do you get to party with the angels? I'm sure that would clinch the deal for lots of guys.

[Peter B]

Seems a good opportunity for the right person to meet industry folks, work with some cool ideas and things, learn, do the lunch ride, examine your career interests in context, live rent-free, save your $$ and grow a bit. Most of us can commit to and stick with anything for 6 months, grind or otherwise.

Finish the internship and hire on full time for some more grinding or go back to school to specialize and hone your direction, or switch careers, or swing an employee discount on an S rig and tour the world while you think about it and spend the money you saved by having that free rent in Morgan Hill.

Aggressive management in highly successful companies is, in my experience, widespread. Look into that light young and form some experiential opinions and feelings about it so you can navigate your future career path(s) better informed about how you tick where. And knowing a few more things about bike R&D, Mike Sinyard, Morgan Hill and whether you're suited to either running or being run through the grinder.

[Peter B]

*

[mtechnica]

I would love to apply... but alas,

"Enrolled in a bike building class or a member of your school’s HPV team"

this is a tough requirement to meet...

I am more or less qualified to apply as well but this made me laugh. If anything I'm qualified to teach a bike building class and enrolling in one if in fact they exist somewhere (they don't anywhere around these parts) would be a joke.

[Kirk Pacenti]

Fwiw, I think it's probably a great opportunity too. Six months is enough time to 'get it out of your system' if your not really going to make a career of the bike industry. And it's just fuel for the fire if you do want to make a long term career in the bike biz. An internship at S is a as good a way as any to insure future opportunities at other brands as well.

And although I personally don't like the way the company runs, (99% certain I'd never work there) I could never take anything away from their products. They are a tier one company for a reason. They make great bikes and their industrial design is as good as anybody's; better than most for sure.

Cheers,
KP

[William]

I seem to be posting offensive threads as of late. First Boats, then internships. What was I thinking??:crap: Good think it wasn't about an internship at a boat factory!! Where's that potty mouth squirrel?




;):)

William

[Lovetoclimb]

Did anyone read the speculative news that Specialized is in talks with Team Sky for bike sponsorship in 2013? If that happened on top of continuing sponsorships with OPQS, Saxo, and Astana, it would be a very impressive chunk of the pro peloton. That said, I would personally take the Dogma over a Venge/Tarmac/anything else.

[tannhauser]

Seems a good opportunity for the right person to meet industry folks, work with some cool ideas and things, learn, do the lunch ride, examine your career interests in context, live rent-free, save your $$ and grow a bit. Most of us can commit to and stick with anything for 6 months, grind or otherwise.

Finish the internship and hire on full time for some more grinding or go back to school to specialize and hone your direction, or switch careers, or swing an employee discount on an S rig and tour the world while you think about it and spend the money you saved by having that free rent in Morgan Hill.

Aggressive management in highly successful companies is, in my experience, widespread. Look into that light young and form some experiential opinions and feelings about it so you can navigate your future career path(s) better informed about how you tick where. And knowing a few more things about bike R&D, Mike Sinyard, Morgan Hill and whether you're suited to either running or being run through the grinder.

Hey excellent post!

Having said what I had said earlier if I were that age I'd do it. Anyone of us over 40 knows better...

[oldpotatoe]

As much fun as this might be, living bikes 24 hours a day, I don't think I would want my play to be that closely related to my work. Heck, even attending NAHBS (or whatever it is they call that big bike show) for just one weekend got old after a while. If I were to do something like this I'd be afraid that after a while bikes might no longer be the joy they are today.

Don't think it's about 'bikes' but what part of 'bikes' you are in. I really enjoy the bike shop, but the 'retail' part wears thin after a while. An owner's conundrum is liking the 'meat and potatoes' of bikes but not the retail part...plus after being an owner, being an 'employee' isn't gonna happen...downsize maybe, narrow market, i donno...

There are some good parts of the bike industry, some not so good, like any industry. Just cuz it's about toys doesn't make it automatically fun, fun.

[jr59]

I guess I am not thinking right this morning.

S is giving a job to a student, with free housing, and is saying it is a 6 month job, and this is somehow a bad thing? :confused:

A paid job with one of the leading bike co in the world? With free housing?


Can someone please explain how this is bad. It's not a long term offering, it's 6 months!

Seems to me most college Jrs have some idea what they want to do, but are not quite sure how to go about it. Since when is real life experince a bad thing?

[c-record]

Specialized should sponsor the UCI and the entire peleton would then ride the same frames.

[William]

I guess I am not thinking right this morning.

S is giving a job to a student, with free housing, and is saying it is a 6 month job, and this is somehow a bad thing? :confused:

A paid job with one of the leading bike co in the world? With free housing?


Can someone please explain how this is bad. It's not a long term offering, it's 6 months!

Seems to me most college Jrs have some idea what they want to do, but are not quite sure how to go about it. Since when is real life experince a bad thing?


Because!! Someone at the Big S must own a boat!!!!:butt:


:p;):D




William

[Kirk Pacenti]

Specialized should sponsor the UCI and the entire peleton would then ride the same frames.

I have thought about this in the past... creating an "IROC" type event (International Race of Cyclists) would be very interesting if all the bikes and components were identical (save for sizing of course). The bikes could easily be made the same weight as well. To be fair to all brands, the frame and component package du jour could rotate every year...

Cheers,
KP

[AngryScientist]

I have thought about this in the past... creating an "IROC" type event (International Race of Cyclists) would be very interesting if all the bikes and components were identical (save for sizing of course). The bikes could easily be made the same weight as well. To be fair to all brands, the frame and component package du jour could rotate every year...

Cheers,
KP

meh, i dont really see the point. i think that all of the bikes at the pro peloton level perform about the same. they are probably all at right about the same exact weight, and work the same. the bike is a much, much smaller part of the equation in pro bike racing than the car is in auto racing IMO.

[firerescuefin]

meh, i dont really see the point. i think that all of the bikes at the pro peloton level perform about the same. they are probably all at right about the same exact weight, and work the same. the bike is a much, much smaller part of the equation in pro bike racing than the car is in auto racing IMO.

Agreed......this isn't F1 with Alberto riding a Mclaren and some also ran on in a Force India.

[jr59]

Specialized should sponsor the UCI and the entire peleton would then ride the same frames.

Not sure about this, but they could/should sponsor almost all of the Jr programs. And by sponsor I mean really fit out the field, bikes gear the whole of it. As well as create rankings and run BIG races. This would, IMO, long term create much more brand loyalty in the long run.

Like Nike did 20 years ago with there grass roots basketball program.