When the M in 3M Stands for Millennials

When the news came out earlier this week that 3M tops the list of dream employers for millennials, I can’t say I was surprised. Glad, yes, for us and for the millennials who are out there looking for work or will be soon. But I’ve been with 3M for nearly two years now, and I know what type of experience we offer – because it was my dream employer, too.

I’m a manufacturing technology engineer in our Film Manufacturing Supply Chain Operations Division, which uses existing technologies – or invents new ones – to help companies in all kinds of industries make better products. For me, that means developing coated films that enable a variety of products, such as displays in smartphones, tablets, and televisions, energy efficient windows, and even specialty films in medical devices. They say you’re never more than a few meters from a 3M product – I think those personal electronics are a big part of the reason why! These films help make them lighter and brighter while using less energy, which reflects 3M’s commitment to sustainability for us and for our customers, too.

The process starts with an idea, which goes on to small-scale development in a lab and, if the results are promising, to a pilot plant and then to a full-scale manufacturing facility. It is rewarding to see a product that you worked with engineers, scientists, operators and technicians to develop hit the marketplace and make people’s lives and businesses better.

That’s what working at 3M means to me: being at a place where new ideas are not just welcome, but wanted. It’s a place where I’ve had room to grow, to challenge myself and to help others. It’s a place that invests in the future by pushing the boundaries of science – and changing what those boundaries are.