Blog Entries

Summer flies by quickly — especially so for our Miron interns. They have been hard at work these past few months! Before our intern bloggers head back to school, we asked each of them to catch us up on their internship experience. We have already heard from Bryce Boden and Clint Garris, Holly Denfeld and Travis Fleis, Dennis Garvey and Zach Gassner, and Brad Ausloos and Brooke Scott. Last up is MaKenna Stelpflug and Michael Daniels. (In case you missed their first post, read it here.)

MaKenna Stelpflug – Project Management Intern

What is the coolest thing you have learned this summer?

One of the coolest things I’ve learned this summer is cost management. This was one of my goals at the beginning of the summer. I wanted to learn more about how the budget is managed and how to process change orders and such. Also learning about contingencies and allowances for specific line items in the project helps me understand the financial side of the project better.

What has been your favorite part of your internship?

My favorite part of this internship is the people I work with. I enjoy working on site and learning from the men and women in the field. They have a wide range of knowledge that they are willing to share.

What has been the hardest part of your internship?

The hardest part of this internship has been learning the scope of work and studying the drawings for the project. I was not a part of the planning for the project, and I did not get the chance to review everything about the project until I started in May. After a couple months, I am much more familiar with these, but it did take time.

Do you feel that your internship has better prepared you for the future? If so, in what ways?

This internship has definitely prepared me for the future. Working with a group of people with different personalities helped me learn how to communicate on different levels. Also being able to connect and work with some of the same local contractors that I’ve worked with in the past is really nice. I’ve learned that creating good working relationships with these contractors makes the project run more smoothly.

What advice would you give other students considering a similar internship?

Simple advice: Ask questions. If you don’t understand something or are interested in something you see, ask about it. The people you work with in this field have a wide range of knowledge that they are more than happy to share with you.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your internship experience?

When I take a step back and think about where I was three summers ago, it’s pretty cool to see how far I’ve come. Not only have my communication skills improved a lot, I also feel more comfortable stepping up and taking the lead on some things and being more confident when someone asks me a question about the project. The thing I love most about this internship is the never-ending opportunity to learn something new. Whether it’s about construction, cost management, schedule or an everyday matter, I found the people I work with are always willing to share their thoughts with me.

Michael Daniels – Project Management Intern

What is the coolest thing you have learned this summer?

This summer I have been exposed to so many different things and learned so many new things. I would have to say the coolest thing I learned this summer was how to balance my time working on multiple projects at once. I thought it was cool because it is an awesome experience and a great skill to have as a project manager. It helped me build my skills on how to prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency as well as build my organizational skills.

What has been your favorite part of your internship?

I have enjoyed multiple parts of my internship this summer, but I would have to say I enjoyed experiencing the back end and closeout of projects the most. In my previous years as an intern, I was involved in the renovation of a building from start to finish, as well as the startup and front end of a project. Experiencing a project from a close out stand point this year, along with the experience of my past internships, allowed me to see the progression of a project from start to finish.

What has been the hardest part of your internship?

The hardest thing for me during this internship is learning the technology Miron uses to track various types of paperwork and costs. They are excellent tools and I have found them to be extremely helpful once I became familiar with them. There are so many ways the tools can be used, from viewing change orders, submittals, or cost codes to generating all sorts of reports. Learning all the different processes and how to find everything was a lot to take in at once. One way I was able to overcome this was to slow down, take my time when I was doing something new, and write down the steps of what I was doing.

Do you feel that your internship has better prepared you for the future? If so, in what ways?

Absolutely it has. Every year I have interned, I have been able to experience a different aspect of the construction process. I feel this has given me a well-rounded look at what it takes to manage a project and build a building from start up to project close out. Another way I feel this internship has prepared me is by how involved I was in my projects. I did not simply observe what was going on, I was right in the middle helping make decisions, pour concrete, fill out paperwork and anything else that my team could get me involved in. Because of my internship experiences, I am well on my way to becoming a successful project manager.

What advice would you give other students considering a similar internship?

The advice I would give someone considering a similar internship is to go for it. It is an awesome way to gain experience and learn what it takes to manage a project. Miron does an excellent job of getting interns involved in projects and exposing them to all different parts of the construction process.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your internship experience?

These past few summers have been an awesome experience for me and have really helped prepare me for the world of project management. I would like to give a big thank you to Miron for the opportunity to intern with them over the past three years. I could not have asked for a better group of people to learn from and grow in my skills as a project manager.

Internships at Miron

If you or a student you know are interested in interning at Miron, please visit our Internships page to learn more about the experience and how to apply.

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