This June, five interns joined the Standard Solar  team for a summer of solar experience. Working in various departments, including marketing, operations, and engineering each intern enjoyed their own unique experience in the office.  Among the things the interns like about the office is its friendly demeanor, “everyone is very friendly and willing to help, which makes coming to work very easy,” said Kyle Haab our engineering intern.  While the interns feel the atmosphere is very friendly, they also feel they are learning a lot as well.  The internship experience is “very rewarding because you get to see a different side of the industry that college can’t teach you, but that you have to experience for yourself.”  All the interns agree that it’s nice to work in a place where you know you can ask anyone a question when trying to solve a problem.

Interns in the marketing department were able to work with social media, packing and planning for conferences, creating marketing materials, and doing research for different aspects of the company.  The interns understand that having an internship really reinforces the whole time efficiency aspect that is instilled in them throughout the years because there are days when you’re swamped and others where the workflow is light, and it’s important to have a fast turnover rate in order to get things done.  Our interns appreciate that every day is not the same and they are able to familiarize themselves with different aspects of the company.  One of our interns, Jessica Martinez enjoyed going to Washington D.C. for SEIA’s first ever solar lobbying day, “I got to immerse myself in what it takes to advocate for sustainable e nergy…” The marketing department encompasses a large part of the company, and each day there is something new and interesting to do.

In the engineering and operations department interns worked on designing system layouts, became familiar with system codes, prepped cost models, maintained jobsites, and many other things.  And while they learned these things on the job, they also know that with their future endeavors they will be able to take what they have learned and apply it elsewhere.  For example, Ryan Fletcher, an intern here at Standard Solar has found the importance of communication.  He has found from his time here that “no communication leads to disorganization and disorganization leads to lost profits and potential law suits.”  Our interns have even begun to think long term, Brandon Baxter would like to take his knowledge of photovoltaic systems to remote areas and countries in poverty to help them learn about renewable energy.

Overall the internship experience has been a very rewarding and satisfying one for everyone.  The interns have been able to enjoy the atmosphere, as well as the people, and the work they have done.  When asked what the interns will miss when they leave, none of them want to leave as they enjoy the work they do so much. But the internship experience wouldn’t be complete without some unusual antics, like the Flavia Coffee Machine that the IT Manager, Tom Nicke swears is “the BEST coffee!” They aren’t convinced.  During their time here, from the hard work, to access to the BEST coffee, the interns were able to gain a different perspective when it comes to working 40 hours, 5 days a week.