6:45 a.m.
Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. Found my way downstairs and drank a cup, and looking up, I noticed I was late.

7:20 a.m.
Never minding the stares of fellow morning commuters, I make use of the short drive from campus to rock out to some loud music…it gets my brain fired up!

7:30 a.m.
At this point I am finally completely coherent and arriving at Olsson Associates. After answering e-mails, I’m ready to start on a job.

7:45 a.m.
Now, the real work begins. I’m a member of the Traffic team and most often work on projects with Justin Petersen, EI. I’ve worked at Olsson for more than one year, and I am striving to obtain more independence and responsibility on projects. My favorite projects are those I can take and run with on my own, seeking guidance when necessary.

9 a.m.
Traditionally, this is when a few members of the Traffic team take a quick break to walk over to the local U-Stop. Many stories are shared on the way—this is where you learn that someone is expecting their first baby, or is getting a dog, or has passed the PE exams. This is the place for Husker football talk, and when I can share a few crazy tidbits from my weekend…because the others like to hear them so much.

9:15 a.m.
Back to work…time to crank until lunch!

12 p.m.
Lunch time at Olsson. I usually like to head out to lunch and get a break from the office, while others prefer to pack a lunch. Plus, heading out to lunch means listening to my favorite…’90s at Noon on KFRX. I Saw the Sign...a real classic…sure to get me excited to design roadway signage after lunch.

12:45 p.m.
Lunch is over and I’m back at work. Most often I’m working on traffic impact studies, pavement marking and signing plans, and signal plans.

I really enjoy working on traffic impact studies in and around Lincoln. I have grown up in Lincoln and always find it exciting to see what new development is going up in town. I have worked on traffic studies, signal plans, and/or pavement markings for Lincoln projects, such as Antelope Valley, Wal-Mart, a residential and commercial development on West Denton Road, North 40 development, and many, many more.

3 p.m.
Time to leave work and switch back to classroom mode…I’m off to campus.

3:30 p.m.
Upon arriving at Nebraska Hall (my home away from home) I enter pavement design and evaluation class with Dr. Yong-Rak Kim. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my days to work, so this is my only class on these two days. I organized my schedule to have more class on Monday, Wednesday, and even…Friday. I know, it’s unfortunate being in a lab on Friday at 3:30 p.m. while your CBA friends are off on their four-day weekend, but such is the life of an engineering student. On the other hand, who wouldn’t want to calculate the sediment located in water headed into a sewage treatment plant? Sounds like a crap load of fun to me!

4:45 p.m.
I’m out of class and it’s time to head back to my fraternity for dinner…I’m probably hoping for lasagna. It’s one of my favorites.

6 p.m.
Time to squeeze in some reading before a meeting. I am involved on campus and serve as risk manager for Beta Theta Pi fraternity and for the Interfraternity Council, which is the governing executive body for all fraternities on campus. I also attend the Institute of Transportation Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers club meetings on campus as often as possible. My two leadership positions are very time demanding and have made for a busy year, but I enjoy the opportunity to give back to organizations that have meant a lot to me in my time in college.

8:30 p.m.
Time for a meeting with the presidents of all fraternities. This week, I must discuss the changes in fire code affecting the Greek living community.

10 p.m.
Unfortunately, this is all too often my first chance to look at homework for the next day. It’s also often the only chance I get to go work out.

12:30 p.m.
By now I am in bed reading to relax and eventually fall asleep. A day in the life of an Olsson student technician can be long, but always rewarding. I began working at Olsson after my sophomore year and have continued working through my junior year and now on to senior year.

I have learned things on the job that cannot be taught in the classroom. I have also found that I really do enjoy balancing both work and school every other day. I find that while I am at work I am able to completely forget about whatever school work I have due and focus in on work; and in that way it has acted as a release for me from the stresses of earning a civil engineering degree. I strongly encourage every engineering student to pursue an internship while in college and I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather work than Olsson Associates!