Living the dream
For St. John’s native Mollie Jameson, the dream of one day working at Fisher Price has become a reality. After seeing an online job posting, submitting her resume and following up with a phone call that accidentally put her on the line with the company’s chief engineer, the fourth-year mechanical engineering student is currently completing her fifth work term at the American toy company and it is everything she had dreamed it would be and more.
“I can’t believe I’m here,” she said. “It is amazing to work in such a creative atmosphere, where everyone is challenged to contribute ideas and think outside the box. My term project is to design and make a working prototype of my own toy. This has been much more challenging than I had anticipated, but I am motivated to get it done. I know in 2016 I will be making quite a few trips to buy some of the toys I worked on.”
For Ms. Jameson, the work term has been a huge eye opener in terms of how much effort goes into one toy.
“There is so much work and so many people involved in making a single toy,” she said. “Everyone here is meticulous, and strives for perfection. I love working with so many different professions. It is amazing that designers know what colors to choose and what textures work well together. Their attention to detail is incredible. The marketing team knows what will sell, if parents will like the product, and even what outfits certain dolls should be wearing on self.”
The engineering program at Memorial follows a co-operative education model, which provides students with up to two years of work experience prior to graduation. For students like Ms. Jameson, this enriches the engineering program at Memorial by giving students valuable work experience and opportunities to make contacts prior to graduation.
“I am learning so much about designing and life cycle management,” said Ms. Jameson. “When designing, it is so important to think about aesthetics and how the toy will be made. You always have to be cautious and make sure that it is actually possible to make a certain part through injection molding. I have also learned that you may start off with a complicated mechanism, but you will always end up with the simplest, and then kick yourself for not thinking of it first! I am gaining a lot of experience with costing, life cycle management, different types of painting and plastics and stages of production.”
Ms. Jameson has another month and a half left at Fisher Price and is already sad for it to end. She hopes to return for her last work term before she graduates.
“Overall, I would say this has been an incredible experience for me, and I can not stop thinking about how one phone call has changed my life,” she exclaimed. “I have learned so much, not just about engineering, but about myself and being independent in such a large city, like New York City. This is truly a place where you can leave your house on a Saturday with no plans and have a totally unexpected night, but in the best way possible.
While she doesn’t know for sure that she’ll land another work term at Fisher Price, one thing she does know for sure is that she will spend the first few years after graduation in New York City.”