Proud to have had Bryan on-site this summer. His commitment to learning, teamwork, and excellence made a lasting impact. Check out his thoughtful reflection on his summer below! #TeamNexGen #NEXtGENeration #FutureLeaders
Yesterday, I gave a presentation discussing the entirety of my internship at NexGen. That's right, my time at the job site is coming to a close, winding down after a crazy summer that I'll never forget. My internship was full of a lot of great experience that I'll be keeping with me well into the future, so I figured that I'd share a few lessons learned. 1. Engineers are Important to a Project I'm an engineering student. It makes me a tad out of place amongst a construction setting. Despite the observation, I have no qualms. One of the reasons I was seeking an internship in construction was to witness the effect that engineering had on real-life applications of the subjects drawn up in design programs. It's important to understand the application of the part you create, for if you have no concept of utility, you cannot have quality design intent. This principle extends past design as well. Understand how companies implement your design. The moment you cease communication - the moment you crank the wind-up toy and let it run without your presence - things will go off the rails. It's almost as if... 2. Nothing Truly Goes as Planned And this is okay. However, as an engineer, it's important for me to remember this fact. Parts won't always fit together perfectly. If my tolerance is set too small, there's no wiggle room to make adjustments for when assemblies go awry. One engineering responsibility is to do the best possible work to accompany possible shifts in dimensions or parameters. It's a lesson that I've learned from working on site and seeing what happens when communication breaks down and contingency is not on standby when the winds change. Plan for the worst, hope for the best. 3. Many People Care About Few Things - Effort is Important Alright, I admit that this one seems bleak. But in all seriousness, my time out here has given me quality tastes of the real world. There are a lot of things that a construction worker won't care about. They're tired, hungry, hot, you name it. It's totally understandable, because I tasted the feeling while out here in the field. There will be tasks or matters that people do not care about. See trash around a jobsite nobody has picked up? They don't care at the moment. The lesson I pulled from this observation is one of self-motivation. Care about what others won't. It makes you stand out. When you go out of your way, walk the extra mile, add the extra detail, put in the additional bit of effort, people notice. They see that you care, and it stands out. That kind of effort goes a long way. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I received through NexGen Contracting. It's given me an unforgettable experience that will provide me useable lessons for, most likely, the rest of my life. So, to the Gray and NexGen teams, and all of the folks I worked with over the summer - thank you. Your time, wisdom, advice, and efforts made an impact on me as a coworker, an engineer, and a student.