Alongside real-world experiences in the lab, internships give students a look inside their future careers. Matthew had a one-of-a-kind internship experience that landed him in Las Vegas witnessing his team test the limits of an up-and-coming EV. Read his story to learn what brought him to Penn College, more about his internship, and what he hopes to do after graduation.
I selected Penn College because it offered a major in an industry I was already familiar with—automotive. In high school I enrolled in tech school in the automotive program where I found my passion for the industry. Luckily because of this experience I was able to receive previous experience credit which made Penn College the clear choice given the head start they were offering.
I like that there is always something new to learn. When you are working in the shop, each vehicle is its own puzzle that you have to solve. You never really know what each day will bring, and the variety keeps things interesting. One moment you’re taking a test drive, the next you’re on a scan tool, torquing lug nuts, or digging into new service information. All of it is engaging, and the day goes by quickly because there’s always something different to tackle.
I toured Penn College during Accepted Student Day and an open house. The automotive labs immediately felt familiar and comfortable. The instructors were welcoming, and I was impressed by the amount of modern diagnostic and calibration equipment, including Snap On scan tools and an Autel ADAS calibration machine. It showed me the program was serious about staying up to date with current technology.
I spent nine weeks with Volvo Cars USA over the summer, and it was a really eye opening experience. I worked with the Learning & Development Team, so a lot of my assigned tasks involved things like putting together summaries, sharing my perspective with the team, and helping send out big email communications that went to thousands of people across the country.
I also got to work on things that felt familiar from my automotive background.
One of the coolest parts was helping with high voltage power down procedures on electric cars. It was great to take what I learned in school and see how those safety steps are used in real training situations. And then there were the projects I came up with myself. The biggest one was building out a training idea for video multipoint inspections: the kind of guidance I wish I had back when I was working in the shop. It let me mix what I already knew as a tech with what I was learning about how training gets done behind the scenes.
The team quickly noticed the EV knowledge I brought from Penn College, and that’s what led to me being invited to help run The EX60 Experience in Las Vegas. It was a major nine week training event for our new electric vehicle, with sales staff from dealerships across the country rotating through. I was part of the very first test run of the program, where I played a key role in setting up and running a VR safety experience that showed Volvo’s commitment to safety.
Yes. We also practiced our test drive routes, where participants started on a closed loop to get familiar with the EX60 and compare it to other comparable vehicles in the segment. After that, they took the EX60 on a three hour mountain drive climbing about 6,000 feet, which really showed what the car could do in real conditions. Behind all of this was a huge amount of corporate coordination, scheduling, logistics, safety planning, and making sure every detail was ready for hundreds of people to move through the program smoothly. Being part of that process taught me a lot about how large scale training events come together and how much teamwork goes into making them run flawlessly.
After graduation, I plan to keep building my technical experience in the shop and learn as much as I can hands on. At the same time, I’m working toward a career with an automotive manufacturer.
My dream job would be working with car dealerships and helping train their salespeople and automotive technicians. I enjoy the idea of visiting different retailers and giving people information or skills that make their day to day work easier. It feels meaningful to help someone learn something new or reinforce what they already know so they can make the most of their time.
Hone the technical skills you need to be a part of a rapidly growing career field.
Unsure which major is right for you? See all academic programs at-a-glance.