Priscilla Nguyen

Job: Aerospace Fabrication Laboratory Assistant, Mechanical Aerospace Engineering

Describe the impact that student employment has had on your overall college experience.

Student employment for me is insanely fulfilling. As a student, your learning and studying directly affect your personal academic success, so it is refreshing to work in a job where you are able to help more than just yourself. The people who I served as a part of my job were also my peers, classmates, and friends. One day, I might be teaching a student how to use a machine, just to run into them the next day, where they will help me with the homework in a class we both share. Lectures always felt more friendly because strangers would recognize me from my job. Working on campus is a unique way to connect with people you might have otherwise not interacted with and people that might end up becoming lasting friends or peers you run into when you go into industry.

What skills and/or competencies have you developed in your student employment job that you were able to capture on your resume?

Interdisciplinary communication skills, managing diverse teams, and machinery/fabrication experience.

What tips or advice do you have to share with other students on how to get the most out of their student employment experience?

Network! Student employment is the perfect opportunity to meet other students with similar interests or fields of study, especially when working in customer service or instructional assistant roles. The connections you create with staff and supervisors are also amazing for understanding the logistics of your department and may also serve as potential references. You get out what you put in, and student employment is a more inviting opportunity to gain professional experience early on, making your resume stand out and helping to ease you into the industry.

How might you apply your student employment experience and the skills gained during your time at UC San Diego to your professional career?

Working in a fabrication lab directly provided me with applicable engineering experience, which helped to land me multiple internship opportunities. Organization and communication are skills that I heavily undervalued until was able to hone in on those skills in my student employment experience, which greatly benefited me in a professional setting. Time management is inherently followed while juggling work, extracurriculars, and school, which is quite advantageous in the long run.