My first blog, WOOHOO!!! (go easy on me) So I kind of REALLY stumbled into this job as a student technician... sort of. Here's a little backdrop:

I had been pursuing my options since about December at a couple big name places, as well as a few smaller firms/testing labs. I interned last summer at the Missouri Department of Transportation, but I really wanted some additional experience, especially in an office setting since my time at MODOT was spent out in the hot sun 7 hours a day (or rain... either way, great experience). Anyway, it was nearing the end of January and I was kind of unsure of my options. But one friday before steel bridge practice, my professor mentioned Olsson Associates, and here's where everything started working like a well lubricated machine:

1.) Asked my dad if he knew anything about Olsson Associates. He said that his ex co-worker's son worked at Olsson and was just a couple years older than me. Ironically, he also went to my church.

2.) Went to church the following Sunday, asked Adam (ex co worker's son) if he could give me a tour of the place. He said yes and this ended up happening the following Tuesday.

3.) Got called that Wednesday to interview on Friday.

4.) Interviewed on Friday and was offered the job 2 hours later!!!

Time frame: ONE WEEK

The moral of the story, you ask? An easy-bake recipe for an internship: one part persistence, one part connections, and one part experience. Been working since February and LOVE all the knowledge and experience I'm gaining. Oh yeah, let's not forget about those things you get every two weeks for spending your time at work, right?

Olssons provides several opportunities throughout the course of the year to continue your career development and explore more areas in the field of your particular interest, whether it be through webcasts, seminars, conferences or additional classes.  I think that this becomes important when you as a student, or even as a professional, are nervous about speaking in front of clients, writing reports, or working on any type of weakness you feel you might have in your career.  Within these past couple of months I have had the opportunity to participate in some of these opportunities and have really appreciated OA’s willingness and encouragement for its employees to expand their skills.  To be more specific, I recently attended a client development seminar focused on pin pointing your particular skills and abilities to draw in clients, a Clean and Green Conference focused on particular sustainable products and applications innovative to the field, and will be attending a Speechcraft course to develop my public speaking skills.  These are only a select few that are available to all employees interested in the material and professional growth, but to also have these available to students and entry level techs makes OA unique in that capacity.

I was given the opportunity to go on a survey trip to Rulo, Nebraska recently to help me associate the survey points that I see on the computer screen with the actual site that was being evaluated.  The site included 5 bridge structures along a line of railroad track that was impacted by the past summer’s flooding.  As part of emergency construction, the entire section of track needed to be raised and repaired along with the addition of several structures along the line.  The task of the survey trip was to shoot in the new elevations post construction so that we would have a record of the new structures and follow up with permitting.  It was exciting for me to interact with representative from the rail company, go through all of the safety certification training for being near the track, and experience the data gathering methods that are standard for creating the points on the screen that I am used to dealing with day to day.  This trip was specifically timed to work with my class schedule so that I would have the opportunity to gain this type of in field experience and has really helped to show me the connection between the work done in the office and its impacts real world.  The ability to interact with client representatives and to go through job specific training was also extremely valuable in that it has helped me to both witness and prepare for the different type of environments I may be working in as my career progresses.

When you’re out in the field, you never know what you are going to see. My latest travels landed me in rural Custer County in Nebraska conducting a traffic study. Just as I prepared myself for my afternoon of data collection, I peered into my rear-view mirror to see it covered with cows! A herd of cattle was getting shepherd past my vehicle. I wondered where the button for counting cattle is at.

Getting out into the field is one of the many perks of working at Olsson Associates. There are many opportunities to get hands on experience with what you are dealing with. Usually, getting a look at the real deal is a lot more useful than the site plans. This makes the internship experience so much more valuable because students often get more practical experience.

Now when I head out from the office, I can only wonder what I will see next.

A lot has happened in the last couple months.  I took and passed the FE.  If you haven't taken it yet, don't worry because it is not that bad.  I also graduated and got hired on full-time with the Land Development team in Omaha.  I had been out of school for five years before returning for my engineering degree, so I am very excited to be in the real world again.

Things could not have worked out better.  Since I have been a student on the team for 18 months the transition is pretty smooth.  With more time in the office I will be able to get more into the details of projects and I expect to learn a lot in the next few months. 

My time as a student has been great, but I am happy to shed that label and work as an engineer. 

This past Monday I had my 6 month review with my supervisor.  One of the last parts of the meeting included a discussion of my goals regarding my experience with OA and what questions I still have about the profession.  Part of what I think makes Olssons a unique environment for a student is that, ever since my start, I have been asked what I want to get out of my position with the team.  Here, it is not the typical protocol of filing papers or doing pure grunt work day after day.  They understand that you are also here to make decisions regarding your career, whether it is deciding between the different civil engineering disciplines, the type of work place environment available to the field, or the entire profession as a whole.  I have worked with several other teams on projects which has given me insight into different the disciplines and have been asked if there were others I was interested in meeting with.  I have worked on a variety of projects and been included at different project stages in order to have a more encompassing perspective of the field as a whole, rather than be isolated to a single type of project or task.  This has been extremely helpful for me to narrow down specific interests and skills of the trade that suit my interests and ability or that make me aware of the gaps in my experience or knowledge.  Overall, the past 6 months have been the opposite of limiting or restrictive, which has been extremely valuable in this stage of my career.  I know that it will aid in my decisions upon graduation, as it has already influenced my decisions regarding my education.

Within my first month of working here, I was asked to go on a survey trip to western Nebraska for a few days for a project which required the evaluation and reporting of several structures within Nebraska on potential scour and structural stability issues.  I was excited by the opportunity to take part in the full process of the evaluation from its start.  Up till then, my exposure to the project had been limited to familiarizing myself with the modeling software HEC-RAS and creating cross sections of the site and structure from survey points previously downloaded into AutoCAD.  It was challenging to try to piece together the site digitally without ever personally being there, through the use of aerial photos, quadrangle maps, site photos, and sketches drawn during the survey, so to have the chance to actually be on site and see exactly what is going on in person was a significant advantage. 

The trip lasted for two days and we were able to visit 13 structures in the county, during which I gained experience in operating the surveying equipment, filling out evaluation checklists, viewing the sketches, and seeing the standards that are done at each site for a consistent overall evaluation of all structures.  When we got back to the office, models, scour, hydraulic, and hydrologic evaluations, photologs, and a full report for each bridge or culvert were completed for submittal.  From the experience, I gained the comprehensive knowledge of what actually took place on each site, as opposed to having to piece together information secondhand, and it provided a significant advantage in understanding the task and results.  To be involved in the entire process from the site evaluation to the final reporting, was a valuable learning experience, and to have the opportunity to work on site and handle the equipment was huge to my versatility to contribute on my team.

In sequential order, I should be blogging about my experience during my first day on the job, but right now survey drawings for the Railroad are preoccupying my entire existence… 

Railroad projects are a large priority for the Water Resources Team, among several other water quality projects currently underway in the local community.  During my interview for the student position, it was stated that I would be helping out with projects involving railroad structures, including the sizing, evaluation, and proposed replacement of culverts, bridges, and/or crossings.  Right now, there are several of these projects currently underway requiring surveying, drawing sets, recommendations for replacement structures, permitting, and modeling, whether it be for a single structure or a whole section of track.  When I began, I was unsure of how I would be contributing to this process and I did not understand how elaborate and intensive the system was.  Today, I am still learning its pieces, but now I have a much better idea of how whole careers can be devoted to it due to the exposure I have gained from my experience with the team.

Prior to my involvement, I never wondered whose responsibility was it to check, size and replace the structures laying underneath the elaborate web of track across the entire United States, nor did I ever really take into account the age, influence, or history of it.  The most attention that I gave towards the railroad was my impatience, sitting behind a flashing red light hoping that this roadblock would not make me late for my 8:00 am class.  Today, in this realm, AutoCAD, HEC-RAS, Google Earth, ArcExplorer, Word, and Excel, are my tools to engage and focus my attention to this web and its needs.  In order for a train to run, the track needs to be open and operational, obviously.  That seems common sense; however, considering its age and the seasonal flooding events (like what was experienced this past summer), the safety of this track and its ability to remain operational is highly dependent upon the stability and sizing of the structures below its rail.

As a student, my particular involvement in this has evolved into creating survey drawings, location/drainage area maps, and permitting figures, through the use of quads, aerial imagery, FIRMs, basic templates and AutoCAD, from survey points taken at the location of the structure, or sometimes only Lat/Long coordinates.  Additionally, I have been involved in determining the hydrology and creating digital models in HEC-RAS of structures to simulate flow elevations during specific rain events.  How much of this did I know how to do before I started on as a student?  Through classes, I was able to use AutoCAD at a basic level…  I guess it can pretty much be assumed how my experience on my first day went.  In one word, I was completely intimidated, but the entire team has been great about walking me through the details and explaining the process and How To’s such that my future classes in these areas will be merely supplemental to the knowledge I have gained from this experience.

This Saturday, I am taking the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) Exam.  It is an 8 hour exam with a general morning session and a discipline specific afternoon session.  I am not too worried about it, other than the fact that it is during the Husker game.  ESPN and the NCEES really could have coordinated this a little better!

Studying for the exam also reveals how much you have forgotten!  It has been quite a while since I’ve thought about chemistry, statistics, differential equations or circuits, but it comes back pretty fast.  I will make sure to post an exam-day review once it is over.

Each week (or every time it rains) I get out of the office for an afternoon to conduct SWPPP inspections.  These are erosion control inspections that we do on every project site to make sure that no dirt runs off the site and into creeks or inlets when it rains.  On days like today when it is 75 and sunny, inspections are the best part of my job.  But after a rain the sites are a mess and it takes a while to pull your boots out of 4 inches of mud with every step.

Once the inspection is completed, we submit a report on the Papillion Creek Watershed Partnership (PCWP) website.  This is how the city of Omaha approves and keeps track of the grading permits and compliance for each project.  My job is to keep our clients out of trouble.  If I see an issue on site I tell them how to correct it before the city inspector sees it.  It is not cheap to keep all the erosion control measures (inlet filters, silt fence, hay bales, seeding blankets, etc.) on a site in tip-top shape so we try to keep the site in compliance without being overly burdensome.

Through being in charge of the inspections I have become familiar with Omaha’s grading permit requirements, the industry best practices for compliance, and how to design a site that will meet the necessary conditions.  Olsson does not hesitate to trust their students with very important work and because of this, a lot of great engineers come out of the intern program.

When I received the phone call after my interview offering me the student intern position, I was driving home through the Sandhills with relatively no phone reception.  I had already missed two voicemails which had mysteriously appeared on my phone inbox somewhere between the limits of Valentine and Thedford, one of which was recorded two days prior and was consequently the only important one stating the offer for employment.   I was paranoid!  Had they offered the position to someone else due to the delay of my response?  In between the scratchy, static breaks in the message, of course blocking through the important details of the message, as it always seems to work out that way, and the gaging at the need to have the vehicle windows rolled up in order to hear the recording, trapping in the smell of manure and dusty air, a beep for call waiting interrupted.  I fumbled with my phone, perching at the crest of the closest hill, and answered, praying that my one unstable bar will be strong enough to connect to the world of towers and civilization beyond the sand, weeds, and random tires.

Exactly one week prior, I was in my apartment in Lincoln, remembering all of the answers I had given at the interview I had just returned from, along with all of the answers I should have given, of course.  I feared that I had been too assumptive.  I had stumbled through too many sentences, and my on-job experience seemed brief and inapplicable.  I was aware that they were interviewing several other students and doubtful in my ability to stand out from the others, despite the delusional confidence I used to psych myself up for the interview.  I had felt mysteriously relaxed.  From the time that I had walked into the building, to the time I had shook hands to leave, I was propelled by the possibility of the opportunity to work in a building such as this, with the black marble walls and glossy floors.  It felt so… professional.  Was I prepared enough to actually be able to contribute to a team belonging to this place? Did I even really know anything about engineering?  I began to prepare myself for rejection, but no letter came.

When I answered my phone, it was Lori, the woman I had met at the UNL Career Fair and who had also sat in at the interview with me and the team leader.  She was enthusiastic and confident when she stated that I was chosen for the position and that I would be receiving an offer letter that same day, stating the details, title, and benefits of my position, for my consideration.  I eagerly accepted, and, during the rest of the drive home, all of those worries from the day of the interview resurfaced with anxiety at full strength.  It was time for me to find out exactly how prepared I actually was, and how much more I had yet to learn beyond the text books and tests.

Those are words that I have never heard in my time at Olsson. While interns at other places may be licking envelopes, life at OA is much different. In a future post I will describe a day in the life of a student, but for starters here are some examples of projects that I have been actively involved with.

-Golf Course Redevelopments

-Hockey Arenas

-Restaurants

-Large Grocery Stores

-Assisted Living Facilities

-Elementary Schools

-Churches

-Gas Stations

-Lakes and Recreational Areas

-Corporate Headquarters

-Climbing Walls

-Railroads

-Mixed-use Developments

-Medical Facilities

-Traffic Studies

-City and State Permitting

And this only scratches the surface! From day one I have been given projects that seemed beyond my abilities, but I work on a great team and have learned everything required to complete the tasks.

My personal experience in gaining a student internship with Olsson Associates was a fairly simple process; however, it did require active pursuit and follow through on my part, along with a lot of delusional confidence and pushing beyond my comfort zone.  If I wanted it, I had to pursue it.  I had to push myself out of my typical introverted shell and actively seek out exactly where would be the best fit for the skills I had already gained and the skills I needed to learn to begin my professional career.   At the time, I had already been at my previous internship for two years, where I had practiced public speaking and project management for grant funded water quality projects, but this was going to be my first experience in the private sector; the place where the responsibility doubles and the pace for projects quadruples.  I had no idea of exactly how much I didn’t know that much I was sure of, and that is what I had to battle with the most.  I was eager to learn what the experience of working for a private firm would be like, especially with the kind of professional reputation that Olsson’s has earned in this area, but I was extremely nervous about whether or not I was actually as prepared as I had alluded to in my interview.  I didn’t really know if I had actually gained enough experience through my education and my previous internship as it appeared I had on paper.  I was unsure of what they were expecting from me, and I was unsure of how segmented the educational and the professional realms actually were, but it was beyond time for me to figure it out.

My initial steps were taken 4 months previous to my first day.  There was an advertisement on the UNL Homepage for the Spring 2011 Career Fair.  I had already made a decision at that point that it was time for me to start looking into a new internship to begin answering a lot of my questions regarding the private sector and the real-life engineering arena.  I read through the full list of companies that were going to attend the fair and begin researching into each one to determine which was the best fit, both with the skills that I could offer and with the expectations the company was looking for, and I ranked them.  I updated my resume as best I could and decided to attend the Resume-Prep Night the University was offering the week prior to the career fair.  It was at the prep-night that I met Kaylea Dunn, the representative for Olsson Associates.  She reviewed my resume and made a lot of really helpful suggestions on how to clean it up, but, also during that time, we were able to talk about my resume and skills and how they matched up with what Olsson was looking for in an intern applicant, without all of the chaos of the Career Fair.  Even if it hadn’t worked out like it did, I learned a lot about what firms were looking for in an intern and it helped me break through my own ice in getting comfortable with talking to prospective employers. 

Fortunately, it was from there that the process began.  I followed through with Kaylea, making a point to speak with her again at the Career Fair and through an email thanking her for her time and suggestions for my resume.  At the Fair, Kaylea had also introduced me to another representative, Lori Cerveny, who was also extremely helpful and informed me of an internship slot that would be available in the next couple of weeks.  A week later, I applied online for the student internship position and was really excited to receive the phone call to set up an interview.  What was really helpful, is that I had already established a relationship with Kaylea and Lori from the Career Fair that I felt comfortable enough to bring up any questions I had throughout the whole hiring and application process.