James Meggitt: ‘Engineering Career Services played a massive role in my success’

Just eight weeks from when James Meggitt stepped onto campus as a first-year electrical engineering student, he had already secured a co-op in the field. Read his take on how he made it happen, with support from Cyclone Engineering resources. 

Getting an internship offer

I first learned about Collins Aerospace during a high school field trip, but my thoughts of actually working there as an electrical engineer began at the ECS Career Fest in 2024. Speaking with a recruiter about their many amazing projects immediately piqued my curiosity. During the career fair season, I reached out to a favorite high school teacher to ask about a family member of hers who works at Collins. After chatting about my first few weeks of college and talking about my interaction with Collins recruiters at the career fair, I was invited to an interview. What started as a standard interview quickly turned into an amazingly nerdy conversation about avionics and flight systems. Just an hour after the interview, I got the job! Now, seven months later, I’m onboarding as a Platform Systems Engineering Co-Op at Collins Aerospace for this summer and fall.

Your goal walking into that first career fair

As a freshman, I tried to keep my expectations about acquiring an internship reasonable. I knew there were many incredible opportunities present for Iowa State students, but even more qualified candidates with much more experience than me. Immediately, I felt excited and lucky to be there. As I navigated the career fair, I used the advice that ECS had provided me with while talking with dozens of recruiters. Like anyone, I made quite a few mistakes early on, mixing up company names or accidentally cutting long lines for companies. However, I put my best foot forward, and by the end of the week, I’d already set up six interviews and made connections with many different people. 

Engineering Career Services support

Engineering Career Services played a massive role in my success. When I first walked into their office, I had a ridiculous three-page resume and no relevant career experience beyond a part-time grocery store job. They immediately jumped to work, helping me streamline it into a concise, one-page document that highlighted my projects and leadership roles. ECS events like the Career Fest, Resume Reviews, and Pizza With Professionals gave me valuable insights into what employers were actually looking for, while practice interviews with real industry professionals boosted my confidence for the real thing. And, of course, I mooched many snacks and drinks from their office along the way.

Best career advice you’ve received

The best advice I’ve ever received came from my systems team lead for Make to Innovate (M2I) Cy Launch. At the time, I had overloaded myself with 20 credit hours, four clubs, two projects, and research, and was struggling to keep up with the endless meetings and commitments. Seeing my situation, he shared a lesson from his own rough semesters: “Make a choice — you can be good at something or bad at everything.” That same day, I dropped a few clubs, and life has been better ever since.

How you’ve grown since your first day on campus

I entered college with some coursework and project experience under my belt, but I had a lot to learn, and I still do. Early on in M2I, I was given a lot of freedom in designing a flight controller for Cy Launch’s high-power rocket. After months of learning KiCad, C, and circuit design, I’d helped make a really interesting circuit board that would control the rocket’s airbrakes and log flight data as it launched to over a mile in the sky. I’d say that up to this point, that’s been the single most influential project I’ve had the opportunity to work on, as it opened up a whole new world of projects to do.

What you’d tell a prospective student (or your younger self!) about how Iowa State has set you up for career success

I think the single most important thing that Iowa State has to offer is its variety. Because Iowa State is so large, it has substantial involvement in many different fields. This wide selection allows you to find your niche while exploring many different areas, all within the realm of one organization. While I’ve only been here for eight months and have really doubled down on avionics, the application of electronics to aviation, I am very lucky to have dabbled in everything from CubeSats to particle physics research, and I cannot wait to see what is to come in the next three years.