Dan Loureiro
By Dan Loureiro on July 05, 2017

The Start of an Internship is a lot like Freshman Year

Major transitions in life always bring us excitement and anxiousness.The summer after high school graduation I was filled with these two emotions as I awaited my freshman year of college. As a student, I left an environment where I was a big fish in a small pond only to migrate to a much bigger pond where I would be a little fish. The unknown is a scary thought. Will i succeed? Will i fit in? However, the unknown is also exhilarating as you cannot wait to begin the next chapter of your life.  When freshmen year finally begins, the nerves finally go away but the excitement remains.

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This holds true for the beginning of a new internship as well. As my academic year was coming to a close, I was incredibly excited and extremely anxious to start at New England Construction. I hoped to succeed and fit in at the company but the fear of not being prepared enough lingered in my mind. Then the first day finally came and all those questions went away. NEC made it extremely easy for me to feel comfortable in the new setting. I was greeted with friendly and helpful co-workers.

Like a freshmen year orientation, the company did a great job with to help me learn as much of the job as possible. It was great to have somebody like Suzette, an Associate Project Manager at NEC whose willingness to train me was extremely high. The first couple weeks here have been similar to my freshman year of college. During that year the courses you take are the building blocks for your major and prepare you for academic success throughout the completion of your degree. The first year of college eases students into the tedious workload that will gradually increase throughout the upcoming years.

Back at NEC, the same concept holds true. The New England Construction team trained me in all aspects of my position and taught me all the building blocks I needed to succeed throughout my internship for the entire summer. 

My workload during the first couple of weeks prepared me for what is to come. At NEC my co-workers have done an excellent job of maintaining open channels of communication with me. They delegated responsibilities that were within my ability. The nerves quickly went away as I completed my first few Meeting Minutes and Submittals. Closeout packages became second nature for me as I worked intensely on them.

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Even in my projects I see a resemblance to freshmen year.  During my internship I have been able to see the beginning stages of multiple projects. Over at the Rumford Center the fourth and fifth floor still looked bare. Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEPs) were still rough-in those floors. Studs were without drywall and a lot of work still to be done.  However, like school, the work will be done and progress will be seen throughout the project until the finish product is ready for the world.

The Middlebridge School project was a lot like freshmen year at the beginning of my internship because the site was still being prepped. The foundation for the building was being poured and then the steel was erected. The foundation and skeleton are essential to the stability of a building, just like freshman year is essential to the stability of your college career. I look forward to the new adventures that still lay ahead during my summer at NEC!

 

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Published by Dan Loureiro July 5, 2017
Dan Loureiro