It's a great place to build connections and to jump start careers
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Research and Devlopment Intern
June 2017 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Good intern network and mentor relationship
What I wish was different
A little more defined scope of work
Advice
Sandia is an amazing place to work, if you can try and move around to a couple internship to try and find what suits you best!
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Mechanical Engineering Intern
May 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Great team
What I wish was different
Advice
Keep applying.
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Product design engineer
May 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
It is an amazing job
What I wish was different
N/A
Advice
Keep applying and don’t underestimate your skills. NMT is a great place to learn
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Electrical Engineering Intern
April 2019 • Kirtland Air Force Base, NM
What I liked
Great pay and interesting work
What I wish was different
Less paperwork
Advice
Don't get pulled over by the Base Police
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Undergrad R&D Intern
June 2018 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Work was interesting, great mentors, good pay, good working environment.
What I wish was different
Advice
Start looking for positions at national labs early, around August or September.
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Software Engineering Intern
May 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
The people there were very helpful and kind.
There was a network of interns that would do hangouts frequently, and different groups formed based on interests. For example, there was a group that did rock climbing and other outdoor activities.
Many opportunities to grow professionally. Many seminars that were available to attend, which helped you get an idea if another field that your work doesn't directly deal with would be something you might want to look into in the future. Managers wanted you to work where your passions and skills intersect.
My schedule was very flexible. Corporate-wide they have several work schedules: work 9 hours/day M-F of one week and M-T of the next week, then get Friday off, or work 10 hours/day 4 days a week and always get Friday off. With the nature of my work and managers, however, I was able to work pretty much whatever hours I wanted as long as I got my 40 hours in and made it to all my meetings.
Also, the pay was above average for engineering internships, which was nice. Relocation stipends for both the arrival and departure trips were awarded for those living far away.
What I wish was different
It's in Albuquerque, which I personally wasn't the biggest fan of. It is desert-y, not much grass, and not many trees or wildlife. The lack of humidity was very nice, though. It would be in the upper 90s, and I wouldn't be sweating.
Advice
Go for it! Sandia is a great company to work for with great benefits and opportunities for growth. They care about their employees and emphasize diversity and equality. If you can get past Albuquerque (or find out you like it there!), I'd say it's a great place to work.
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Electrical Engineering Intern
May - August 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
It was incredibly diverse, and that mattered a lot to me. It was a nice break from being in Provo. I also liked the opportunities there were to grow as an engineer. I had the opportunity to work with several people smarter than me. I spent all day solving problems, and I was given projects that allowed me to work on a few different things.
What I wish was different
I really liked the internship and I would go back. The company aligned with my values. If I could change one thing, I would choose a job that involved more walking around and more hands-on work. There was too much sitting in my particular corner.
Advice
Don't be afraid to ask questions! Everyone here is very willing to help. It's better to ask questions than to sit and do nothing and be nervous.
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High Performance Computing Intern
May - August 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Sandia is a good company to work for, and so working for them was an enjoyable experience.
What I wish was different
My job was a bit outside my major's wheelhouse
Advice
Electrical Engineering students need to get:
A. C/C++ experience
B. Unix Command Line experience
These proved very helpful in securing and completing my job.
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Computer Science Intern
May - August 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
The overall experience was wonderful! I got to meet and work with leaders in the field of Quantum computing.
What I wish was different
I would have planned to have a more flexible schedule rather than 40 hours a week during my summer.
Advice
Internships are a wonderful way to expand your network and find out more about your intended field!
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Intern
February 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Could work a 9/80 schedule, Interesting work, Always had something to do
What I wish was different
Advice
Join a Sandia department rather than a giant intern program to get more work and more useful projects
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R&D Intern
May - August 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
-Interesting facilities and capabilities
-Motivated and highly experienced coworkers and mentors
-Important and fulfilling work
What I wish was different
That I could have seen the results of my work during the internship.
Advice
Be enthusiastic and open to new experiences.
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Research and design intern
May - August 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
I liked the work and mentors
What I wish was different
Better establishment of expectations early-on
Advice
Sandia’s internship programs do not communicate well with departments that participate, so managers will not be aware of intern events you may be attending. Therefore, never assume the department knows when you’re off doing intern events, always communicate this to them.
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Research and development intern
April 2018 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
It is an interesting job with work that makes me think of new ways to solve problems each day.
What I wish was different
I wish I had had more time this summer to focus on the work
Advice
Sandia National Laboratories is a large employer and each intern is going to have a different experience.
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NW SPRINT R&D Graduate Intern
May - August 2019 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
There seems to be a good work-life balance (flexible hours, can't really take much work home); the projects are interesting; there is a lot of talk of "lateral movement", so if you want to switch in the different fields within Sandia every few years that's very doable; good pay; good benefits (for full-time); lots of investment in interns (fun tours, lots of good networking opportunities).
What I wish was different
Sandia is tough because although there's lots of funding, most operations move very slowly, which can get frustrating. Also, my internship was marketed as a product development opportunity, and it was much more R&D.
Advice
Take advantage of the opportunities to meet and network with managers!
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R&D Intern
June 2018 • Livermore, CA
What I liked
The work environment is friendly and helpful. The people are brilliant. The tasks are real-world problems we get to work on. Overall, it's an excellent place to intern or work.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Project Controller
May 2018 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Uniqueness, opportunity, and the freedom
What I wish was different
I wish I didn't eat so many Golden Pride Burritos
Advice
Step outside your comfort zone, work somewhere you have never been and push yourself to do your own personal networking
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Backend Software Engineer
May 2018 • Livermore, CA
What I liked
The project I was working on.
What I wish was different
The company culture and main focus.
Advice
Visit Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.
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Electrical Engineering Intern
May 2018 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
Great experience that taught me a lot about microwave engineering.
What I wish was different
I wish I could have done more. I didn't feel like I was able to do as much as I wish I had.
Advice
Learn all you can where ever you go and make he most of the time you have.
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Chemical Laboratory Technician
June - August 2018 • Albuquerque, NM
What I liked
It was really awesome working with a bunch of people who had years of experience in the field, along with a huge amount of post-docs, grad-students and undergrads. I was exposed to a lot of laboratory techniques and equipment that most students will probably never see until they go to grad-school, and I had the pleasure of working on research and running experiments that have not been done before.
What I wish was different
To be honest, the only things I wish were different, was that the summer wouldn't end. I loved my experience there and would have been happy to just work there for the rest of my life. But alas, I must go to school :)
The only bad thing I can say about it, is that because of it's location (most of it on an AF base) it can take a bit long to commute, and it also makes the hiring process (because it's a government contractor) and getting access to the worksite can be a bit of a pain. I think it's completely understandable however, and the fact you can work there and be able to work inter-discplinary projects and do research, I think that vastly overpowers the issue of working there, and respecting the importance of the work there, I don't have an issue with them spending extra time checking me.
Advice
I guess my only advice is to realize that you are working for the government, and everything is generally of national security. Knowledge can be deadly in the wrong hands, so don't be stupid and jeopardize your job. Realize that you will be a target while you work there, and after you leave.
