Meet Christopher Michalek

I started my first co-op job with Yaskawa in March 2015 in the Medium Voltage engineering department as a mechanical engineer. I returned for a second internship in June 2016 in the same department.

Three months before graduating college, Yaskawa kept me on as a part-time employee as I finished school. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in mechanical engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering in November 2016, the MV department offered me a full-time engineering position.
The entire experience has been tremendous.

From my first day at Yaskawa, I was excited to start learning what my career choice would be like in the real world. On that first day, the MV team pulled me right into the action. From the beginning, I felt part of the group. I wasn’t just an intern expected to do busy work. Sure, there was tedious training to learn Yaskawa’s systems and procedures, but I was applying my skills as an engineer.

I mainly dealt with engineering changes the other engineers did not have time to complete. It was empowering to know they fully trusted me with getting the job done. The more changes I completed, the more familiar I became with the product and the more involved I became in the manufacturing processes that made the product.  Over time, I developed my own opinions on certain design changes. When I shared those opinions, I felt everyone respected them - even though I was still an intern. This made me feel needed in the workplace and it made me excited to come to work every day.

After 6 months, I had the opportunity to get to know everyone I was working with on a personal level. I really enjoy working for Yaskawa. The people I work with are solution oriented and friendly. A great work place environment is very important in any company and Yaskawa hits that nail on the head. Now that I’ve worked for Yaskawa effectively for 3 years, I have gotten to know my co-workers on a deeper level and consider them to be, not only the people I work with, but my friends, too. We work very well together. That’s mostly because of how well we all get along.

In the end, I enjoyed my first internship at Yaskawa so much, that I had every intention of returning the next summer for another internship. I am so glad I did. I am very fortunate that Yaskawa allowed me to return for a second internship, continue working part-time while I finished school before ultimately offering me a full-time position. I have grown so much, both as a person and an engineer, during my time at Yaskawa. I am proud to be working for Yaskawa. My experiences here have touched me, not only on a professional level, but on a personal level as well.