Polytechnic student speaks about an internship at Siemens

Thanks to Polytechnic University's cooperation with leading Russian and foreign companies, many university students have the opportunity to go for an internship and gain valuable work experience at a real enterprise. And this is an important advantage for future employment. Alexey PEREVYAZKIN is studying for his master’s degree at the Institute of Energy, and since March 2020 he has been doing an internship at Siemens, a strategic partner of SPbPU. Read about how he managed to get an internship at an international company, his work on a research project, and opportunities for other students in our interview.

- Alexei, how did you get an internship at Siemens?

- There is a lot of credit here to my department and professors, in particular, Stanislav POPOV, who offered me to join research as part of a joint project between SPbPU and Siemens. At the end of last year, I joined the research activities, then only working at the department. A few months later, I received the “permission” to do an internship at the company itself.

- What else do you think helped you get this internship?

- Understanding that it is very important to get real work experience in my future profession while still studying at university. I tried to take the initiative on my own, applied with suggestions to the company, and I was noticed and invited for an internship.

- Can you tell us about the project that started your cooperation with Siemens?

- The project is dedicated to researching the possibilities of automating equipment monitoring in substations. In simple words, there’s a substation, and there’s equipment on it. Depending on the mode of operation of the substation, the equipment can work differently. It can also happen that a failure or malfunction of the equipment will occur. Our task is to identify such moments and investigate the equipment for its malfunctioning.

- Why are you interested in this topic?

- This is part of my master's thesis. I did not choose this topic by chance: when I was still in my bachelor’s degree program, I tried different lines of research. This topic became the most interesting for me because it has a practical application almost immediately. This is not a study that will remain only on paper, but a real-live project, and it has a good chance of being implemented in the future.

- Have you participated in any of the projects at Polytechnic University before?

- To my great regret, until recently I did not know how many industrial partners SPbPU has around the world. I recommend all students to visit the university's website and social media accounts more often, read news and announcements, and study the information provided by your institute and departments - believe me, there are a lot of real opportunities.

- The most important thing is that you still got your opportunity and, as we can see, you are implementing it successfully! Tell us, how is your internship going now? How hard is it to combine with your studies?

- I am in my last year of my master’s degree program, and my academic activities are focused mainly on working on my thesis. So I manage to find time for both studies and work. I can’t say it’s easy, but it’s worth it for the sake of my future specialty.

- Do you work in the office or remotely?

- Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the company’s office is closed, and all work is done remotely. There are no difficulties with communication - we communicate via Microsoft Teams or other platforms. I work in a small department, the tasks that I have to perform are clear and understandable. I hope that during the internship I will be able to fully learn important skills that will be useful to me when I get a job.

- We already know the answer, but let’s ask anyway: would you like to get a job at Siemens after the internship?

- Certainly, yes! I was already lucky once - I received an internship, an opportunity to work on an interesting project, and a very good chance to prove myself. I very much hope that when I finish my studies I will be able to start my career in the company.

- What is your advice to the students who also want to gain additional skills and competencies during the studies?

- Be curious and proactive. Be aware of all the things that are going on and don't be afraid to be the first to make suggestions. Chances are always good that some company will show interest in you!

- Alexey, thanks for the interesting interview! We wish you success, good luck, and productive work!

Prepared by the SPbPU International Office