The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

Tinker's primary tenant is the Air Logistics complex, which is a part of the Air Force Materiel Command. They are NOT an R&D organization. That said, your success and happiness in job placement will depend highly on what you A) want to get out of it and B) where you are placed. There are organizations on base that are way more program management and paper pushing than engineering. If you're looking for something technical, these are organizations to stay away from.

As an EE, I think the 76 SMXG is probably your best bet to do some actual real work. Your mileage may vary - it is by no means a guarantee. You need to talk to your organization to get a sense of exactly what you will be doing.

As a bit of background knowledge, the facilities that are focused on air logistics are focused on sustainment of current equipment in the fleet - weather it be engines, aircraft, ground vehicles, etc. There are technical challenges here, but in my experience, most of the technical heavy lifting here is contracted to a defense contractor. Each organization is a bit different, and it'll be up to you to ask the right questions to determine if its the right fit.

What are your career goals? What are you looking for in a job?

I interned with Tinker last summer along side a couple SMART interns both CE and EE, and went through the same squadron rotation training. It had it's highs and lows. We never got to do any actual work but rather worked example projects with each of the squadrons in 76SMXG as well as a lot of tours. Overall, I had a good time and learned a few valuable things here and there that have helped me shape my focus in college this last semester and see connections of how I will apply things I am learning in my classes in the real world. I am now pursuing SMART, still awaiting award announcements, and will likely be back at Tinker this summer for a more focused internship either way.

For the recipients for EE who went to tinker, how do you guys like it?