Chemical Engineering Co-Op Story: ExxonMobil
Seth Walker
Chemical Engineering
What company or organization did you co-op with and where are they located?
I have worked with ExxonMobil at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Refinery (Complex) for two semesters. I will return for a third rotation this summer.
How did you identify and apply for your co-op? Are there any specific resources you used to find the opportunity (i.e. Handshake, career fairs, other recruitment events)?
I found the internship opportunity through the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering Career Fair. I applied for the position through the company’s website.
What was the application process like?
The application process was straightforward. I applied through the company’s website, where I provided my resume with previous work experience, academic accomplishments, and extracurricular activities. The following week, I was selected for an in-person interview with a recruiter. The thirty-minute interview was conversational and non-technical in nature.
Tell us about your co-op experience. What types of tasks and projects did you engage in? Was there a particular project or part of the experience you learned the most from?
During my first rotation, I was assigned to the Applications Engineering Department which maintains the control systems across the refinery. My project was to build a predictive reactor management tool in Ignition for the POLY Unit’s nine reactor bundles to optimize catalyst life and product throughput.
During my second rotation, I was assigned to the Offsites Technical Division. My first project was to backfill the Feed, Docks, and Distillates contact (process) engineer for approximately six weeks. In this role, I oversaw the Light Oils Finishing Unit that processes Jet Fuel, ensuring product quality and certifications were met.
I also had the opportunity to lead a project to install a jump-over line within the dock battery limits to bypass a damaged line and prevent a shutdown of a unit dependent on imports. This project required me to coordinate with multiple levels of management, operations, and site safety to implement the jump-over in a short time frame.
In what ways did your co-op experience help you prepare for your next destination after Auburn?
This experience significantly prepared me for my next steps after Auburn by reinforcing my collaboration, problem-solving, and project management skills. Through my projects at ExxonMobil, I learned how to work across different teams, coordinate with multiple levels of management, and handle situations that require quick decision-making. These opportunities helped me develop confidence in my ability to adapt, communicate effectively, and contribute to large-scale engineering operations, all of which are essential skills that will be valuable in my future career.
In what ways did your coursework or other experiences at Auburn prepare you for your co-op work experience? Are there specific topics or skills you learned from classes that you put into practice on the job?
The in-major coursework heavily emphasizes solving engineering systems in Excel and MATLAB. While the scenarios I faced on rotation differed, this foundation was important in formulating a solution and conceptual understanding of the problem.
Do you have any advice for other students seeking a co-op experience?
Talk to everyone. You never know what learning or job opportunities could come from a conversation.
