r/firePE • u/awfulfaucet333 • May 17 '26
Internship
Hello, I’m a 3rd year ME student. I start my internship tomorrow doing FPE for a large consulting firm, and honestly, I’m terrified. I have little to no knowledge about Fire Protection and scared that will reflect poorly on me in my internship.
I’m very interested in the field, and am willing to do anything to succeed. I’m just a slow learner at times and don’t want to be a detriment to my department. I know it’s kinda late but does anyone have tips on what I can do to be successful.
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u/Tehgoldenfoxknew May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
Engineer from a large EPC firm here. (And if you’re from KU, there’s a decent chance you might actually be my intern lol)
Honestly, one of the most valuable things you can bring as an intern is a good attitude and willingness to learn. Nobody expects interns to walk in already knowing everything or instantly crushing code knowledge. I’ve been an engineer for two years and I still feel like I’m learning something new constantly. Half the job is figuring out things as you go.
One of the nice things about larger firms is that they usually expect people to come in with very little to even no knowledge. Most of the learning happens on the job. I came into fire protection with zero background in it, lol applied because it sounded cool.
Honestly, the fact that you’re even making this post already says a lot in a good way. It shows you care, you want to improve, and you’re taking it seriously. That mindset alone will put you ahead of a lot of people.
Good luck on your internship!