From light bulbs ... to the Olympics?

At this point, I'm sure you are just as confused as I was two years ago. I had just been invited to interview for the GE IMLP program. As I began to research the program, I became more interested in it. However, even as a 20 year old Junior at the University of Notre Dame, I asked myself the question, "How can I, as a computer engineer, be a good fit for a company that makes light bulbs?". As I have since found out, this is an extremely common question that many people have about General Electric. Through my research for my on campus interview, I discovered that GE does much more than light bulbs. In fact, if you consult the 2007 GE Annual Report, the divison of GE responsible for manufacturing light bulbs accounted for less than 11% of GE revenues for 2007.



As I began to research more, I began to realize that GE has a vast portfolio of companies. Since that day, GE has continued to grow, both in the United States and throughout the world. Today, GE CEO and Chairman of the Board, Jeff Immelt, separates the businesses into three categories: infrastructure, media and financial services.

Never has GE's vast portfolio been more apparent than with the 2008 Summer Olympics. Not only will GE's own television network, NBC, and its cable affiliates broadcast more than 2,200 hours of coverage by the conclusion of the Olympics, but GE is also the exclusive provider of many essential infrastructure services such as power, lighting, water treatment, security, and transportation. In addition, GE also provided much of the medical equipment used to treat the athletes, including MRI and ultrasound machines.  If you would like to check out more of what GE is doing in China during the Olympic games, you can find some information here.

In addition to the products on display at the Olympics, GE offers many other products such as credit cards, commercial financing, aircraft engines, wind turbines, locomotives, and enterprise security solutions through its many divisions.

If you still don’t have a sense of the breadth of GE products and services, feel free to check out a complete list of GE’s products and services.

Ultimately, it is the breadth of products and the global reach of the company that make General Electric, Inc. an exciting place to work. As part of the IMLP program and throughout your GE career, you will have the opportunity to work with some of the latest and greatest technology throughout the many GE businesses around the world.