Week Three: Using Revit

This week was a very productive week. It started with learning the Revit program and all of the special equipment that the company has installed in the program themselves. I worked on placing mechanical equipment for the Hesston pump station into the correct places with the exact measurements, which I got from a drawing of the building. This kept me busy all week long, and I have still not completed this project. So the skills I have improved on for this week were working with Revit and understanding drawings. I also completed my goals for the week.

The goals for the week were easy to complete because they were questions for my mentor. The first question I asked him was what school did he attend and would he recommend that school? His answer was "Kansas State University and he highly recommends it for the engineering school". This is great because this is where I would like to attend and I have already been accepted. The second question was how long did he have to attend school? He said he went for "five years, but it has since been changed to a four year program". Then I asked him what was his initial career choice? He responded with "Architecture and Computer Science". I too considered Architecture for awhile. The next question was how did he find out about electrical engineering? The answer he gave to this question was "I initially wanted to study Architecture, but after understanding what the program was about and my love for math and science, I decided to switch to engineering". The last question was what advice would you give me? He answered "it is a great field because it is very broad... the need for electrical engineers is only going to grow".

Accomplishments From Week Two

The second week of my internship with PEC Engineering was great. My mentor kept me busy by explaining blueprints, going through the AutoCAD software, and giving me a demolition floor plan. Tuesday was the day my mentor went over the blueprints and AutoCAD. On Wednesday, he let me start working on my own by giving me a floor plan of Koch. My assignment was to insert receptacles where they needed to go. Then I would mark them as existing or needing demoed. This project also continued into Thursday. When I finished, I was given another set of blueprints for a pump station. The objective of this assignment was to write special notes on a set of drawings. For example, if a telephone pole needed to be moved, then I would write where it needed to be moved to.

I believe I had a very productive week, other than I did not meet all of my goals. I was close to learning five new electrical terms, but I only learned three. The terms I learned were receptacles, telecom data outlets, and a junction box. This was because these were the only electrical systems I worked with. My goal to work with revit was not met either because I did not work with this software. However, I did work with AutoCAD which is very similar. Another goal I did not meet was learning names of more of my coworkers. So far I have only worked with my team members, so I haven't had the chance to meet new people.

The goals that I did meet were learning what my team members do on a daily basis and starting a project without being told what to do. I learned my team usually work with drawings on the computer all day. They spend much of their time laying out electrical systems or editing previous drawing that they owner wanted to change. Thursday was the day I started a project without being told what to do. This was when I was working on the Koch floor plan. I got to my internship site and started this as soon as my computer started up. Hopefully next week I can meet more goals.

This is a picture of my desk.

The First Week

Week number one started off great. I completed all of my goals that I set for myself this week. I got to my internship location without using my GPS, I also know where to park because I asked, I know most of the layout but still don't know where everything is at, I learned the names of the team I will be working with, and I believe I made a great first impression.

The first day was a little overwhelming. Once I arrived at PEC, the first thing that my mentor did was show me around the building. It was very nice because the interior was recently remodeled. I was introduced to many people around the building, but the only names I could remember were the names of my mentors, the team I will be working with, and the receptionist. The second half of the day was spent setting up my computer and looking at blueprints. On my second day I looked at more blueprints, but this time the drawings were explained to me. I also got to work a little bit with revit, which is the program that all of the designs are drawn on. They actually gave me a project that was recently completed and let me mess around with the program.

During my two days at my internship I really enjoyed the work environment that I was in. Everyone was relaxed, very friendly, liked to joke around with each other, and the building was very nice. When I first arrived the nerves were getting to me, but once I got inside and met everyone I felt like I fit in. I was nervous because I didn't know what to expect, it was something that was outside of my comfort zone, and I didn't know how they would respond to me being there. Now that I have settled in, I am very excited to start learning what engineers do on a daily basis and can't wait to see what kind of projects they give me.

Introduction to Me

Hello, my name is Jeremy. Through this internship program at Andale High School, I will be interning at PEC Engineering for the fall semester. I plan on entering the engineering field, but this will help me narrow down the exact type. My mentors for the semester will be Dennis, head of the electrical division, and Dan, head of the facilities department.

The engineering field interests me because of the requirements and skills needed for this career. I have a strong understanding for math and science which will help me in the future. The construction field has always interested me and I believe I will fit in well. Many buildings would not have lasted without the help of an engineer.

The requirements and skills needed from an engineer are not an easy task. It will take hard work and dedication to succeed. This is why I will be attending Kansas State University next fall. My internship will also play a huge role in my career because it will give me a head start on the rest of my peers.

During this experience I hope to learn what an engineer does on a daily basis. More specifically, I would like to learn how to read blueprints, use engineering software on the computer, and design systems. Even though I am excited to learn new things, I am a little nervous. The thing that makes me nervous is not knowing what to expect. Also, I will be with new people and new surroundings. After a couple of days I should be ready to go for the rest of the semester.

A trait that I have that will set me apart from my competitors is my work ethic. I am very hard working and won’t stop until the task is completed correctly. My plan after college is still being determined, but I hope that this internship will help me decide and hopefully it will make me successful in the future.

PEC Engineering has been in business for over 50 years. They have around 275 employees between their seven location in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. This company has many different services to offer and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to Intern at PEC. I am ready to start this wonderful opportunity at PEC Engineering!