Today was a different kind of experience as an intern at Indium Corporation. Yesterday, I was told that Jim McCoy and I would be visiting Remsen Elementary School’s career day. In my opinion, it’s pretty awesome that Indium Corporation takes the time to start visiting students at such an early age and spark their interest in advanced manufacturing. There were other professionals taking part in the career fair as well, including restaurant owners, physical fitness trainers, and police officers. You wouldn’t think that a fifth grader would be interested in something like nanotechnology and metallurgy, but these kids were absolutely amazed by what Indium Corporation does.
When Jim bent the solid bar of indium, the looks on the student’s faces were priceless. All of a sudden, both the students and teachers were engaged. I found it hard to believe that barely any of the students knew what Indium Corporation does or that it even existed. I’m still learning new things about Indium Corporation. In fact, Jim McCoy told me that, even after three years of working here, he’s still discovering new things about the company all the time. It’s incredible how much technology involves Indium Corporation's products, many of which we all use on a day to day basis. Not only does Indium Corporation have parts in products all the way from turkey timers to space shuttles, but those parts are created right here in Utica, NY (and our other facilities, worldwide).
I think that introducing Indium Corporation to these students at a young age will spark an interest in growing up, staying in this area, and maybe even working at Indium one day. Many of the students asked what we do at Indium Corporation. Jim replied with “there are so many jobs you can do at Indium whether it’s engineering, operating, sales, human resources, or maintenance”. The fact of the matter is that, whatever it is you want to do, there are so many opportunities at Indium Corporation. They will give you the tools you need to succeed; you just have to take the initiative and have the desire to do a job well done.