- Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
My STEP Signature Project was an internship with POWER Engineers. Though my position was based in Ann Arbor, MI, I worked remotely as a civil/structural engineer intern on the overhead transmission line team.
- What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
A few transformations took place. First off, my view of engineering was transformed from my closed-minded idea of all hard calculations and detailing to the world of consulting and project engineering through the lens of a new industry. Sure, I knew that I could design buildings, bridges, and even roller coasters with a Civil Engineering degree but never did I consider the design and analysis of power line structures. It might just look like poles in the ground, but there are a lot of design considerations that go into that final product.
Additionally, I learned a lot about my work habits and abilities. I knew my strong work ethic has allowed me to excel in coursework as well as previous experiences; however, I never had a great idea of my learning and communication capabilities until I was able to fully take initiative and received feedback from my mentor throughout the term.
- What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
At least 50% of my internship was spent modeling individual structures in PLS-Pole and importing them into the overall transmission line model in PLS-CADD. Compared to my last co-op, where at least 90% of my time was spent designing in AutoCAD, I was very surprised at all the modeling I was doing. This modeling was very standardized according to the client’s preferences and National Electrical Safety Code, so there was not much room for creativity or design – much of the structure modeling was a learning exercise. Because it was standardized, there were not as many calculations or sizing of components as I expected there to be in a structural design position. This did come into play in the analysis and optimization stage of the process but much less than I would have thought. This is what made the internship more project engineering than heavy structural design. I ended up enjoying it overall, and I’m very glad I did it. This allowed me to transform my understanding of what I enjoy and what my career can be with a Civil Engineering degree.
Another aspect of the experience that contributed to the new understanding of my work habits and abilities was the remote nature of the work. I was certainly not left alone, as my mentor was readily available for questions and guidance as needed and checked in with me regularly. However, remote work requires a great deal of self-discipline and independence to be productive and take initiative to get help. My mentor was also the leader of my team and a mentor to other young engineers, so he frequently was in meetings and had short bits of time available to get his own work done. I recognized this early on and always tried my best to compile my questions so as not to call him as frequently and monitor his calendar to find more open times to ask the questions. That was not always possible when a clarification or question impeded my own progress, but Brad noted how much he appreciated me trying things on my own and compiling questions rather than calling him all the time.
Similarly, I had the opportunity to take ownership and complete the majority of a project on my own. In my past co-op, I was frequently completing short tasks on a multitude of projects, but I didn’t have a great chance to really take control. In this case, I consistently worked on the same project throughout the summer and took it through nearly 90% of its lifecycle. This allowed for a great opportunity to receive feedback. All was positive throughout, but I still experienced a bit of imposter syndrome throughout, thinking I was working/learning too slowly or not capable of completing everything as desired. However, at the end of the internship my mentor provided very reassuring feedback that I was a quick learner and my quality of work was higher than many interns. This gave me much more confidence as I approach a full-time career that I actually did play a significant role in the team and I am capable of completing my own projects (with guidance).
- Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.
My transformation of my career outlook and understanding of my own abilities has brought me a healthy dose of clarity and confidence for my future. For one, I experienced a broader range of directions I can steer my career after graduation. I learned that I enjoy project engineering, but I would still like to pursue more heavy structural design work to start, especially within the amusement/entertainment industry; that doesn’t mean I cannot return to project engineering work or POWER in the future. Additionally, because I have not had as much of a heavy structural engineering design type role yet, I was doubting whether I could succeed. But this internship has provided the confidence to not undermine my experience, knowledge, and abilities and apply/interview for the positions I truly want. I feel much more equipped to fully pursue my dream of roller coaster design or working more broadly on entertainment structures. I’ve almost crested that lift hill and built up my experience and confidence; now it’s time to put my hands up and go down that first drop into my dream career.
