University student looking for intern/entry-level position

[jonchang]

Good evening guys,

I am a sophomore in the Motorsports & Mechanical Engineering program at Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis looking for an entry level position. I really want to get my feet wet, gain knowledge, and experience by working on a team. If any team/shop needs an extra hand or has an internship/apprentice position available and is willing to give me a chance, please contact me.
Thank you very much for your time,

Name: Jonas Chang
Your contact e-mail: jonchang@iu.edu
Location: Greenwood, IN
Track Availability: Willing to travel with team*
Date Available/Wanted: ASAP
Compensation (if needed): None
SCCA Member: No

* Ideally, the team or shop would be based near Indianapolis as I am a college student and don't have the financial means to pay for all the flights and transportation to the farther tracks.

[Rick Kirchner]

Look up Terran Swanson out in FB land. He was in your shoes a few years back and probably has some insight into the pro scene. Also Steve Lathrop and Richard Pare here may have some suggestions.

[HazelNut]

Look up Terran Swanson out in FB land. He was in your shoes a few years back and probably has some insight into the pro scene. Also Steve Lathrop and Richard Pare here may have some suggestions.

Terran worked his first RTI race with me in 2016 and stuck with us for 2 seasons before moving on to bigger and better things. He's at ganassi and on alex palou's indycar again this year!

[Fred Michael]

Talk to all of the RTI teams and Indycar teams.
The worst they can say is no and a lot of them are always looking for help

[E1pix]

Jonas, just in case you’re not sure, “RTI” is “Road to Indy” and includes all the junior series leading to IndyCar. Mr. Michael above is heavily-involved in pro racing, so you’ve made a good start already.

I liked your opening post, it’s nice to see anyone using language well these days. I noticed you edited “foot” to “feet,” an understandable error you immediately corrected and that’s the kind of attention to detail that will serve you well.

If you have a resume, I’d be happy to race it up for you just to help. I’m not with a team officially now, but have a long history doing such work.

If you’re not sure how to PM here yet, please post that and I’ll write you via email.

Resume is generally best on one page for printed handouts and on pdf, and should contain things like:
— Mission Statement of goals and intentions
— Personal and racing history and motivations
— Education to present, and moving forward
— Work history
— Anything that shows a history of success, or at least personal character
— Specific engineering intents; engines, gearboxes, suspension, whatever
— Hobbies, skills, interests, regimens, etc.

I have images and a life of graphic work to back up your words.

No pressure, don’t overthink it because I probably will. I could probably turn something around in a week or so, maybe less if things align. No charge.

Either way, best of luck to you.

[jonchang]

Look up Terran Swanson out in FB land. He was in your shoes a few years back and probably has some insight into the pro scene. Also Steve Lathrop and Richard Pare here may have some suggestions.

Thank you very much for the suggestion. I assume FB refers to Facebook? I am pretty sure I found him on Facebook and Instagram and have requested to add him on both platforms to chat.

[jonchang]

Talk to all of the RTI teams and Indycar teams.
The worst they can say is no and a lot of them are always looking for help

I have been sending out my resume to most, if not all, the RTI and F4 teams around Indiana but have not had any luck.
Most have not replied and the ones that did say they are not currently looking. I do plan on visiting some shops in person to drop my resume off in the future.

[jonchang]

Jonas, just in case you’re not sure, “RTI” is “Road to Indy” and includes all the junior series leading to IndyCar. Mr. Michael above is heavily-involved in pro racing, so you’ve made a good start already.

I liked your opening post, it’s nice to see anyone using language well these days. I noticed you edited “foot” to “feet,” an understandable error you immediately corrected and that’s the kind of attention to detail that will serve you well.

If you have a resume, I’d be happy to race it up for you just to help. I’m not with a team officially now, but have a long history doing such work.

If you’re not sure how to PM here yet, please post that and I’ll write you via email.

Resume is generally best on one page for printed handouts and on pdf, and should contain things like:
— Mission Statement of goals and intentions
— Personal and racing history and motivations
— Education to present, and moving forward
— Work history
— Anything that shows a history of success, or at least personal character
— Specific engineering intents; engines, gearboxes, suspension, whatever
— Hobbies, skills, interests, regimens, etc.

I have images and a life of graphic work to back up your words.

No pressure, don’t overthink it because I probably will. I could probably turn something around in a week or so, maybe less if things align. No charge.

Either way, best of luck to you.

I have sent you a PM but can't seem to find a way to attach a file.

[E1pix]

No worries Jonas, I just got your PM and sent you an email with my contact info..

[Pi_guy]

Sent your info to shock manufacturer they are always looking for interns.
Race car teams like guys with many skill sets.

[jonchang]

Sent your info to shock manufacturer they are always looking for interns.
Race car teams like guys with many skill sets.

Thank you for the suggestion. I will look into manufacturers around my area.

[Fred Michael]

In person visits are far better than mailing resumes. It's much better if you talk to someone even if it's just the receptionist, names to faces type of thing