My practicum site was at the Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) engineering firm WB Engineering + Consultants. I found my site supervisor through a connection through my dad who works in an adjacent engineering field and knew that my site supervisor would be interested in allowing me to shadow him. Based on my experience I would recommend reaching out to people you know and seeing if they know anybody that works in a field you are interested in. From people I have talked to, there is a lot of interest in professionals having young people shadow them so if you keep casting a net you are sure to find something.
At the site, the main thing I did was sit in meetings and calls and observe how they were structured and what was happening. I got to see a lot of how the relationships between the engineers and the clients actually are. Another task I did was observing technical drawings and I was taught how the drawings are made, organized, and why certain features exist. The most exciting thing I did was go to construction sites where I got to help a project manager mark the progress that had been done on the site and estimate a finish time for the client. I also got to observe the mechanical systems in real life and learned how they actually work. It was very helpful to learn about the systems while seeing them in real life.
During my time at the site I learned a lot about engineering. On the technical side, I learned a lot about how important drawings are. If they are done poorly it is very hard to understand the information being conveyed. I also learned about how much precision goes into designing mechanical systems like HVAC systems. The amount of intricate calculations and precise planning that goes into what us users see as a basic feature of life was very interesting and changed the way I look at a lot of the other systems in my life.
Beyond science, my work at this site helped me understand what it meant to be an engineer and what a day in the life of an engineer actually looks like. Like I said above, I gained a large appreciation for how science and engineering play a part in our lives that we don’t necessarily realize. However, I also learned about the scientific/engineering process and how it can be applied to everyday life especially when analyzing how to solve problems. This experience has inspired me to take HVAC related courses when I am a senior and maybe even try to specialize in the MEP field. As a result of my experience, I was offered the opportunity to work as a full-time intern this summer at WB which I accepted. This experience has definitely confirmed that I want to pursue engineering as my career, however I am still unsure if the MEP field is the one for me, but I will hopefully find out this summer.
Overall, this was one of the best experiences of my life and I learned so much about engineering and how an engineering firm operates. I am excited to use all of the knowledge I now have during my internship this summer and during my future classes.