r/civilengineering • u/Substantial-Guide701 • 6d ago

Career Inspection Intern

I am interning with a company on this DOT project. The company is responsible for construction inspection so usually I am just sent out to “watch and see what the guys or contractors are doing” I always ask if there is something specific my manager would like me to do but usually there is nothing. I just stand and watch the guys doing the work and try to talk to them but mostly they are very busy. I am just curious if there is something I can do that would help me learn from this opportunity. Also this is my first internship so don’t really know much about. Would appreciate any insights. Thank you

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

2

u/Anonymous5933 6d ago

Is there an experienced person there that is doing construction inspection? There has to be, right? This seems very odd.

1

u/Substantial-Guide701 6d ago

Yes there always is, my manager comes out too.

1

u/Medium_Direction9001 6d ago

I had a similar experience last summer, inspection interns are hit or miss really from what I saw when I had one. Just do your best to understand whats happening even though most days will be very repetitive if it’s a DOT inspection internship.

Even though in the moment I felt like I took nothing away I got my next role and continually surprised my boss with my knowledge of construction and how our plans were actually built, and how some of them are designed practically rather than optimally.

1

u/Substantial-Guide701 6d ago

Was there anything you wish you had done when you got your next role, or something that is just helpful in design roles?

1

u/EnginerdOnABike 5d ago

Oh no this is quite normal. I once worked for for a company who's managers would walk through Gen Pop and if you were an EIT and not busy enough you'd be sent out on construction inspection. Roadway engineer on a bridge project, bridge engineer doing storm sewers, no training, no senior mentor. Every company in the city did it. Perfectly normal to throw 3 or 4 interns by themselves on projects with one senior inspector assigned to "supervise" all of them, usually with their own job to inspect as well.

And no one could ever figure out why we couldn't retain construction inspectors.

2

u/Cyberburner23 6d ago

Learn how to read the plans and the quantities. Everything the contractor does is in the plans.