My supervisors were the best. They never got annoyed with the numerous questions I asked them and challenged me to understand their engineering process by doing research and other tasks on my own. I was able to split my time between the field and office pretty evenly and that was the great. Being outside and seeing the design process, compliance procedures and other engineering duties take place and being able to ask questions in the moment was very beneficial to me. I learned so much just by being on the job site versus only looking at a schematic of the project back in the office. The clients and contractors I interacted with in the field were also were willing to answer any questions I had and challenged me to learn things on my own as well. Duluth is an incredible place to live too, especially in the summer.
What I wish was different
The office was very small and I didn't have any other interns or co-workers my age to interact with. I think it would've been nice to have another student intern working with me on projects so I could have worked on my collaboration and teamwork skills. I worked long hours because I wasn't very efficient in the report writing and construction observation forms as my supervisors, but I had to get everything done on time. I wish I had had more time to explore the Duluth area and enjoy the summer while still getting enough hours in at work. But that's engineering...long days filled with work!
Advice
Take a chance and be confident in yourself when you apply for internships! When reading the description for this position, I didn't think I was qualified enough for the tasks they wanted me to perform, but I applied anyway because the opportunity was too good to pass. I was nervous my first couple of days that I didn't know enough yet about the field, but that's the point of an internship - to learn more and get real experience while you're still in school!
