#55 Western Engineering to Tesla to Meta - Michael Avrakh - Part 2 Artwork

Kee to Success: Student Careers Guide

Mr Kee is a high school teacher who worked in the automotive industry as a project manager/engineer. He believes Careers is the most important subject you can take because there's no other course that will change your quality of life like knowledge that it gives you. Through Mr Kee's 14 year career as an educator and guidance counselor he has helped many students find their way to a successful and happy career.This podcast contains interviews with professionals and Mr Kee's grads to give you the knowledge you need to get an edge into finding a career you will love.

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Kee to Success: Student Careers Guide

#55 Western Engineering to Tesla to Meta - Michael Avrakh - Part 2

February 16, 2026 • Vernon Kee • Season 2 • Episode 55

0:00 | 33:22

What does it really take to land a job at Tesla?

In this episode, I sit down with one of my former students who went from Canadian engineering undergrad to Mechanical Design Engineer at Tesla — working on the Model 3, flying to factories in China and Europe, and presenting work that would ultimately be reviewed at the executive level.

And here’s the twist: he almost didn’t apply.

We break down the entire process step by step:

How a random conversation at a bar led to a Tesla application
What the resume and portfolio actually needed to include
The 2–3 month interview process (including a 7-hour final round)
How to beat automated resume filters (ATS systems)
Why hands-on projects like Baja SAE mattered more than grades
What onboarding at Tesla is really like
The truth about 100-hour work weeks during product launch
What it feels like to represent Tesla at global suppliers
And what advice he’d give to any student who wants to compete at that level

We also talk about the culture inside Tesla — the intensity, the friendships, the pressure, the travel, and the reality behind the brand.

If you’re a high school or university student aiming for top-tier engineering roles — or if you’re curious what working at one of the world’s most talked-about companies is actually like — this episode gives you the unfiltered version.