For Thomas Berquist, junior in industrial engineering, summer vacation was far from a break.

Berquist interned with Tesla as an engineering project manager in Sparks, Nevada, this past summer. 

He served on the new project introduction team for the launch of the  first short range battery pack for the Model 3 which will be released next spring.

“It was nice because I got to see so many things in the company instead of being specified on one specific line,” Berquist said.

Tesla’s internship required a lot of dedication to the company, with Berquist spent 60 hours a week working there.

“At Tesla you’re always busy and passionate about the work, 60 hours didn’t feel like 60 hours a week.” Berquist said. “At the end of the week you crashed, but just because of the people you’re working with, the environment you’re around, everyone’s going 110 percent all the time, so you didn’t really think about working 60 hours a week.”

Berquist had about three interviews in the process of looking into the internship. Since starting at Iowa State, Berquist had a total of 16 interviews with 12 companies, ultimately receiving offers from 11 companies.

Those options gave Berquist the choice to decide what area he felt most confident and happy with, as well as where he wanted to work in the future.

“It came down to the ones I thought would make a difference,” Berquist said. “I know Tesla is one of those companies that not just their automotive industry but their energy side of business is going to have the most impact on the world going forward in the transition to sustainable energy.”

Berquist spent his second semester freshman year co-oping with Rockwell Collins. Sophomore year he was a part time student while continuing to work part time with Rockwell Collins.

The summer of his sophomore year, Berquist interned with Procter and Gamble. During his junior year, he spent his fall semester co-oping with the Walt Disney Company.

“The Disney industrial engineering department was basically a team of internal consultants,” Berquist said. “They had their hands in everything from old projects like It’s a Small World from 1971, or the brand new developed Star Wars World.”

Berquist’s specific team was involved in line of business. Different things like disney springs, food and beverage, validating the new pandora restaurant and trying to create more efficient systems and processes with all their quick service restaurants were all a part of his job.

“Our main job was basically to look at a problem that somebody from inside the company brought to us and figure out how to solve it, what data to collect, collect the data, analyze it, put it in a deck, and present it to a client to make those changes,” Berquist said.

For Berquist, the industrial engineering program helped him start his journey and find what he was passionate about.

“Iowa State did a great job of teaching me to think like an engineer,” Berquist said.  “Their classes challenge you not just with the concepts but they challenge you with how would you go about thinking or going about this problem,” 

Berquist said the career fair preparation Iowa State offers helped him be successful. Coaching on how to build a resume and talking with professors all helped him prepare for the career fair.

He has two older brothers who also went to Iowa State for the engineering program, with one majoring in mechanical engineering and the other for industrial engineering.

Looking to the future, Berquist said he is still open to new opportunities and the next work he will take on.

“I have offers to go full time with the companies I have worked for, however I have not made any final decisions to see what other place I can experience,” Berquist said.