Engineering Vac Work

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scotty777

...doesn't know
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Hi guys,

As you can see, I'm a long time member, so please hear me out :).

Anyway, I'm a Wits student, 2nd year, and I'm in need of vac work for a light current electrical engineering firm... I need to get 6 weeks done, in order to get into 3rd year :(. I'm very strong academically, and don't want to have this vac work thing looming over me :(.

I ask kindly, can any of you kind members help me out here? Or maybe point me to any companies that I can email asking (I will resort of grovelling if need be :p) for some vac work?

Kind regards,
Scotty
 
I doubt you will find work in a light current engineering firm as your options will be fairly limited. I did my 2nd year vac work for a civil engineering company, and had to travel to mines in Westonaria, and my 3rd year vac work for City Power's telecoms department. I also know of guys who did work in IT - usually techie stuff. Remember your vac work doesn't have to match your stream, as long as there is some engineering aspect to it.
 
True, but Mike, I spent two weeks at a company that is more designing networks... and I was bored to tears, and I despise the office work place. So I revise... Um, maybe something that is more practical, where I get my hands dirty with code, design or actually building things in terms of electronics, or whatever!

Sorry, but I almost hanged myself with the phone cord while working in the office... doing some paper work :(.
 
Just throwing this in there, but back in my day (at UND) I had a buddy studying Mech Eng (Mechatronics) and the prof needed a lab assistant for the guys working through the vac on their major projects.
So i ended up getting my vac work credits by working for the prof, building little sensor modules and trouble-shooting code and helping them out with their designs and testing.
...Good fun.
And good pay :)

Ask around at Wits... maybe you can find something similar.
Best part of the whole experience was that i didn't have to write the damn vac work report... They just saw that it was work for another prof and accepted it! :)
 
You can also try Telkom, dunno if they still do but they use to take in eng. students all the time back in the day.

Also check for research establishments linked to your university for possible options.
 
Scotty why don't you try Poynting? Or optimum. Both take a lot of Wits students being founded from that dept. Even the nuclear labs take vac students. And if all else fails the dept normally places the student.
 
Plessy/tellumat would also be good(electronics) but they based in cpt.
 
Thanks all for the amazing response :D.

I've messages Jannie, and I will get around to emailing Poynting as soon as I get internet cap (tomorrow), thanks so much all :).
 
krycor said:
Plessy/tellumat would also be good(electronics) but they based in cpt.
Click to expand...

Lol, good luck on those. Tellumat couldn't be arsed to get back to anyone. Here's a list:
* National Instruments
* Parsec
* Robonica (pretty cool)
* CSIR (obviously, but so bureaucratic you'll want to off yourself)
* Grintek
* S1 (software)
* RapidM
* ZTE (uuuugh)
* EADS (not sure if based in GP or CT).

If you wish, PM me your linkedin page and I'll add you.
 
UnUnOctium said:
Lol, good luck on those. Tellumat couldn't be arsed to get back to anyone. Here's a list:
* National Instruments
* Parsec
* Robonica (pretty cool)
* CSIR (obviously, but so bureaucratic you'll want to off yourself)
* Grintek
* S1 (software)
* RapidM
* ZTE (uuuugh)
* EADS (not sure if based in GP or CT).

If you wish, PM me your linkedin page and I'll add you.
Click to expand...

Are all those based in Johannesburg :wtf: ?? I think I live in a rock, or my google is broken :wtf:

Wow, there's some things google can't find then hey!!! (Well, I'm sure this thread may come into good use for future students I'm guessing :) ).

What exactly do you mean by "linkedin page" :o btw :o
 
UnUnOctium said:
Lol, good luck on those. Tellumat couldn't be arsed to get back to anyone. Here's a list:
* National Instruments
* Parsec
* Robonica (pretty cool)
* CSIR (obviously, but so bureaucratic you'll want to off yourself) <-- cool if you do MSc research through them, uhm otherwise..
* Grintek <-- Saab Grintek, defence and telecoms. They do telecom equip training too for operators i think.
* S1 (software) <-- Postilion, don't bother unless you have > 70% average for everything
* RapidM
* ZTE (uuuugh) <-- LOL.. cellc equipment, of the vendors this is the one friends i know aren't happy being with. chinese skills transfer = little
* EADS (not sure if based in GP or CT).

If you wish, PM me your linkedin page and I'll add you.
Click to expand...

Tellumat and pretty most of the companies don't get back to you in a hurry if at all. Most of the time you have to try and get hold of them. There are others i can think of

Net1/easypay - transaction switches & banking.. based in cpt
Hauwei - Telecom Vendor, Telkom equipment
NokiaSiemensNetworks/NSN - Telecom Vendor, Vodacom equipment and i think they getting some contracts with mtn now too
Ericsson - Telecom Vendor, mtn equipment and up into africa
Plessy - they do power + bat systems for base stations etc
Altech - Swisttech, Isis, Bytes - 3rd party/telecom software dev kinda fills in the gap between vendor stuff and other systems, cpt mostly

I think vendor work is the most interesting as you get to be involved in all aspects of telecoms equip, operator stuff is ok too but more into managing it, business, analysis etc but these guys have grad bursaries so good luck getting in without it. Always wanted to get work at one of the two but it's pretty tough to convince them. hrm will check out the ones i don't know of.
 
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scotty777 said:
Are all those based in Johannesburg :wtf: ?? I think I live in a rock, or my google is broken :wtf:

Wow, there's some things google can't find then hey!!! (Well, I'm sure this thread may come into good use for future students I'm guessing :) ).

What exactly do you mean by "linkedin page" :o btw :o
Click to expand...

www.linkedin.com. Create yourself a profile. Can be very useful once you start looking for employment as you can find companies easily.
 
A few more..

Denel Dynamics - Pretoria -
Altech UEC - KZN - Set top boxes for multichoice, likely for the new digital terrestrial tv too
 
krycor said:
Altech UEC - KZN - Set top boxes for multichoice, likely for the new digital terrestrial tv too
Click to expand...

UEC used to do military stuff, the type where you hang your name tag up outside the door in case you come out in bits & pieces. They should have stuck to the mil stuff as their decoders suck :D
 
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