Part 1:
How was your work meaningful to your education? I think that my work as an intern has contributed so much and been very significant to my education in so many ways! I am very surprised but also so grateful for all the things that I've learned in my internship so far. I have learned to refine the skills that I have, specially time management. There really is time for everything! I've learned to keep myself more organized and how to keep everything on a schedule, even in my sleep. I've learned so much about the software I am working with and also how to communicate better. These are all good skills to have, as they will be very important throughout my education and future. How was your work significant tor meaningful to the world beyond school and your internship site? I think overall, I acquired a good skill set that will be helpful for me outside of school and in my life in general. I am more aware of my surroundings from a civil engineering perspective, which I find very interesting. I find myself telling my family and friends about what Civil Engineering is and how it really works, and they seem to be impressed and surprised just as I was on my first week of learning what it was about. Now I sort of have an idea of what to expect if I ever want to build a house of my own. I will be more informed of the process of it and what maybe I can do in order to make better decisions. I've learned so many things through my work as an intern and time management has really been one of the biggest ones. I've learned to be more mindful of my schedule and it has even helped me improve my sleeping and resting schedule. Part 2: What new appreciations did you develop while working as an intern? Why? I appreciate this career and job so much, because it's visibly essential to our communities. I never knew how much they do and contribute to the building of large structures, but also how much work they do and the process they go through. I never expected it to be like this but when I see the plans and then see it built, it's like this internal satisfaction. I appreciate the work of my mentors and other people who do this because they really try to create a space that fits our environment while creating welcoming and accommodating for us as people.
0 Comments
Being an advocate for myself has never been such a big of a struggle but I do have to say that sometimes I do get very shy. Since I am interning at a private engineering company, and it consists of a small staff, I get to know the field at a deeper level. My mentor has been very helpful and has guided me well throughout the last two weeks. He is constantly explaining me what he's doing, and I actually get the hands on experience when we get to go outdoors and to some land surveying. I also get to work with the software, where they spend most of time on. Every time we go out or there's a certain thing that he has on his drawing, I always feel free and comfortable to ask any questions. My mentor is also always asking me if I have any questions before he teaches me about something else. To show my gratitude I've tried to be a helpful intern is that I am constantly helping out in the field, and I try my best to complete the work to produce great results, even if it means to walk through many plants and get a shot. It makes me appreciate the work that they do and it makes me realize that this field require lots of time and devotion. I am amazed at how, if I wasn't there, my mentor would have to do all that work by himself. I am always trying to look for ways to help out and be at their service if there's anything that they need.
Overview
For my internship project I will be working on designing a drawing with an engineering program. With the help of my mentor to get a better understanding of the job and spectrum of the career, as well as getting familiar with the equipment and tools. I will be working on looking at different sides of the drawings and hopefully gaining more skills through the program. New Learning and Applications With this experience, and project, I will get and adapt new sills while using new tools. One of the most essential tools in Civil Engineering is AutoCAD, a computer design and drafting software. My mentor uses an similar version of AutoCad but it's called IntelliCAD, which is under the Carlson Engineering Program. I will get to work with this designing software to produce a draft or overall desgin of my grading plan. I will also get the opportunity to go out and survey different land to get more used to the other equipment used in the field. Some of the skills that I already have is meticulous planning, organization, communication, and collaboration. I think that we out a big emphasis on collaboration and communication at HTHNC that will definitely help me when askiing questions and for help, and be a good collaborator with my mentor and other people that need my help. We are also taught to have everything organized and I think that I've become more familiar with that skill and hope to always keep track of my time and my work ethic throughout this project. As for the project help, I will totally need support from my mentor who will be guiding me throughout this whole entire process as to how to create a drawing. In the past few days, I have been getting more familiar with the software and have gotten the great opportunity to go out on field days to measure things in regards to surveying. I will also need support from my teachers just to help me create or give me advice on certain things that I might be confused about in terms of questions about internship. But I know that they're always supporting me and ready to answer all of my questions. Throughout the project, there will be always something new to learn and I am very excited to learn more and even acquire a new skill set. The new adapted skills will vary and might be unexpected but I am surely anxious and very eager to discover all the new things I will learn. I interviewed my mentor Jeff Fretz about his experiences and views on working at Acal Engineering. He is an assistant engineer that wants what is best for his company and will do anything to work with others to make sure the company is successful. He is in charge of designing grading plans, processing improvement plans, surveying and map processing.
Why did you choose to work here? I chose to work here because of Dave, the CEO. He's very nice and great overall. I also enjoy the job and I get to be outdoors and explore and I also get to be inside where I get to design, and as a whole I get to learn the full spectrum of the job. How does your organization structured? What's its purpose? What is a typical day like? There's no special or particular structure since it's very small, but you get to learn a lot of new skills and form great friendships, plus everyone is really flexible. The purpose of our company is to create and be on step in the chain of the building industry. A typical day at Acal Engineering, for me, is checking emails, answer and make phone calls, continue working on the most recent project which sometimes requires me to go out in the field. How did you end up doing the job that you do? Do you consider your career satisfying? Well, I had a neighbor who was a surveyor and he repeatedly asked me for a whole year, to work with him. So after a year of him asking me I decided to give it a try and ended up loving the work and the job as a whole. He taught me everything and then introduced me to other people. I am very satisfied with this career because is satisfies my sense of creativity as far as design work goes. However, when I do surveying, I get to spend time outdoors and discover new things all the time. Skills required for the field and job
The ability to self-start, recognize that there's a job status importance, be willing to be trained and to work. How important is it to get along with other people in your career? It's very important! When there's other people in the same career as yours, you have to make contacts because later on you will need help or different information, and they're the people to go to. Is there anything that you wish you'd known before coming into the job? What advice would you give to someone who wants to work here? I wish I'd known the importance of education and the importance of math as a whole. I recommend to know and understand the building industry, and that you are prepared to work with people and walk them through the steps with problem solving. Also make sure to go to school and be open to anything. Internship Journal My internship is really interesting in my opinion. I think it's nothing of what I expected but it never ceases to surprise me in many different ways. I am learning a lot! From using a designing and drafting software, to time management, to prioritization, to making and forming relationships with other people, to learning about plants. At the moment, I am at a place that my mind is open to learn whatever is offered. I don't have questions but just more curiosity about the job. I am always constantly asking my mentor on our way to a project he's working on about what certain things do or what he's doing or what he needs to do. My mentor is always providing information and explaining how things work, even before I ask. But I am very grateful for that because I get a better understanding of what the job is about. My place of internship really values connecting to their clients and to make sure that they know what's going on. Of course there's been times that clients are constantly asking questions and well, my mentor is happy to answer them all and make sure that they know that everything is working out smoothly. Some projects and sometimes most of them might take more than five years, but they're always consistent and constantly working hard to create successful products, which will vary in different ways, like grading plans, improvement plans, surveying or map processing. I've been meeting lots of new people either when I visit their land or if they're visiting at the office. I find it really funny when I meet the clients and my mentor always introduces me to them and tells them that he's trying so hard not to bore me. I don't think there's been a time that I am not learning something new. I am always learning and that's the first thing that I share about with my family and friends when I see them. Even with my older friends they're amazed at how much I am learning and how much they're learning through me as I tell them more about the career. I get to also meet the owner's dog, Leo, who is super playful and really big. I've never been to a company where they have dog inside and that everyone knows and loves him. I think that tells a lot of how close everyone is and how they all strive to provide comfort to others. I am so excited to keep learning and get familiar with more things through my internship and mentor. Interning at Acal Engineering has been so fun and interesting overall. What really strikes me the most about the workplace is that it's so small but so comfortable. There's no way that one can feel uncomfortable here. Since the building, or I must say the suite, is shared with a partner company, I get to talk to them as well. Everyone is so welcoming and very nice, and most importantly, they make sure I feel at home. The job as a whole is in another level I shall say. Since the company is private and is also not just civil engineering, it's a surveying company, which means that I get to know my mentor really well and be part of big things. We get to go out to the field and do some surveying and then get to add that to the plans and drawings. Now that I'm here at the workplace and at the job, I get to see how it really is and what they really do, which is very essential to the processing of creating a building. I am really excited to get to do more of the surveying and get more familiar with the work, since most of it is really applied to any sorts of engineering. I think that learning it now will definitely be benefit for me as a student. I don't know if I am worried about anything at this point, since I am just observing and getting familiar with the place, however, I think I do need to make an effort to ask more questions to get an even better understanding of what I am learning. I also think that I shouldn't be afraid to ask about things I don't understand or want clarification in.
I am currently very excited and preparing to start my internship at Acal Engineering with my mentors David Howen and Jeff Fretz. I will be observing and working on a project related to Civil Engineering. I got see in Career Day, so many different things and what the field is about. I find it to be very interesting and got to learn a bit about my mentors. I am hoping to pursue a career in the STEM field, and I'm leaning towards the engineering side of it. I am so excited to learn more about the foundations and expected experiences to have on the job. I hope to learn more about it and I am nervous about the work difficulty and load. I still don't have a project figured out, but hope to get right on it as soon as I can talk more with my mentors about what we could work with since the company is very small, and all the work relies on them both. So, I hope to have something that is efficient, helpful, and that I can learn a lot from it.
Paola Toledo
Acal Engineering Civil Engineering Ms. Nikolova Contact Person: Dave Lowen and Jeff Fretz [email protected] & [email protected] Where I did my career day, was at Acal Engineering office, which consists of a small space and staff. The main Engineers are Dave Howen and Jeff Fretz. It's a really small space but it's comfortable for everyone. The building is close to a partner organization, so there's some people that are from the organization working there. It's small, and there's not a lot of people, which is something that I found very nice and interesting. I thought it would be a lot bigger but the staff is really nice and welcoming, as well as the space overall. There's lots of windows and since this office is found on the second floor, there's a nice view. The space around the office is very town-like and it reminds me of home. I found it to be very accommodating and relaxing since it's also simply quiet most of the time. The place has a very calming and welcoming atmosphere which allows me to really focus on what I am doing and observe with care and curiosity. It's a very small space but there seems to be everything that is needed. It's nothing too elegant and it seems to be business casual for the most part, except if required to go out to the field and do land surveying. However, most of the staff seems to be comfortable however they present themselves. The general policies for the business aren't strict. The schedule changes for the people working there, they're very flexible since it's small and there's not a lot of people working there, which according to my mentor is quite nice. There's no restrictions to the presence of the people who work there. There's not too much pressure on when the staff must show up. Some of them come in later in the day or some might stay later. There's a lot of trust and flexibility. Since the people I was shadowing were the engineers, their dress code was very casual. It truly depends on their schedule but they seem to enjoy the idea of comfort or being comfortable. Since we did go out to the field, it was important to not show up with very professional attire since they will be surrounded by dirt or plants or other messy materials. However, the other people who stayed at the office also seemed to be very casual because some of them might be sitting down for long periods of time, yet a lot of them were also wearing business casual attire. So, overall, I would say it's in between casual and business casual. Career Day was definitely an important experience, not only was I able to observe a day in the life of an engineer at Acal Engineering, but to also see the environment in the workspace. It was indeed an exciting experience. I see that there's no rush in the job but there's a lot of time invested as well as patience. It made me realize how I should dress and how I shouldn't worry too much about the staff in the building. There's lots of things that I know I've learned in class and the skills developed in them that I know that will help me in my work place. Class: Math Skill: Problem Solving Application: I think that since I am going to be working a lot with math and design, I will definitely need to have a problem solving mindset to really tackle different dimensions of obstacles in the project, as staying solution oriented. Class: Humanities Skill: Communication Application: I will definitely will have to communicate with my mentors not just verbally but also make sure to keep myself and them accountable for the project I'll be working on. I will definitely need this skill throughout the project, in order for it to succeed. Class: Biology Skill: Analysis and research Application: I will be working a lot with analyzing plans and making research about them. So being able to really made a plan with methods to accomplish the goals of my project, I will definitely need this skills to work out logistics and to really observe what I need for my project and how I plan to get it done. |
Paola ToledoHere are updates about internship journey and experience.
Categories |