<p>OP, no help to you, but I’m surprised at some of the tasks you’re expected to complete on your own as a summer intern. I would not assign my assistant project manager (college grad, full-time position) a cost estimate unless I had substantial documentation of a previous, identical project to share. Are you really as independent in your work as it sounds?</p>
<p>Also, have you made them aware that you have no experience with AutoCad? The newer versions seem more difficult to self-teach with all the bells-and-whistles. And for a 10 week job assignment, the learning curve would probably not be a good use of your time (or their money).</p>
<p>If you were working under me as an intern, I would appreciate knowing exactly your level of competency with the tasks you are assigned – upfront. Construction management is a stressful field because of deadlines, health and safety requirements and the money involved. I would recommend that you not take on tasks that you are unable to complete successfully and do not try to muddle through any technical assignments. Mistakes can not only be costly, but have far-reaching consequences. It’s not that experienced staff never make mistakes, it’s that experienced engineers are more likely to know when their limits and also know where to go for assistance.</p>
<p>Hopefully your internship experience gets better with time. I agree with the above advice to be always on time, eager to learn and helpful. But please also be honest about your comfort-level with assigned tasks. It will save you much stress and sleepless nights. This experience should end up being a positive learning experience for you, as well as an opportunity for your employer to give-back to the industry and enjoy some lower cost staffing for a short time. Should be a win-win for both parties, not a master/slave relationship where you are afraid to show up for work each day.</p>
Who *hasn’t * made a mistake? Nobody’s perfect throughout their career. Heck, nobody is even close to perfect throughout their career. </p>
<p>During one of my internships, we were in the punchlist phase of a luxury residential high-rise, with the penthouse going for something like $45M. One of my tasks was to put a list together of all the doors between the 3rd to 12th floor that had issues. In one apartment, there was a missing door and I somehow forgot to put it on the list. By the time I realized the error, the order had already been placed and we couldn’t get it added in time for the next shipment. This delayed the turnover of that apartment. Not good at all.</p>
<p>In my traffic engineering internship, I remember making a mistake entering numbers into a traffic simulation program. The details are hazy in my mind, but I just remember all of us working late into the night on the project with a tight deadline and all of a sudden at 8pm, I realized we made a mistake and carried it through. It wasn’t so much having to re-do it that I hated, but knowing the time was wasted and everyone on the project (maybe a dozen people or so) were tired.</p>
<p>If it’s an honest mistake, people are more forgiving. If it’s a mistake that you constantly make and don’t learn from, it’s tough to earn their trust back.</p>
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<p>It just takes some getting used to I’m sure. From what I hear, the pace in NYC is quicker than elsewhere in the country. For example, a concrete skyscraper rises a floor every other day here, but typically it’s every 3 or 4 days in other parts. That still boggles my mind to this day!</p>
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It’s do-able if it’s not too complex. One of my first tasks as an intern in project management was to do an estimate for a small change order. As long as there is some support from others, they should be fine.</p>
<p>I think most engineering interns go through this. I’m certainly going through this right now in a software internship…real life code is WAY more complicated than academic code.</p>
<p>I actually have another question. How much do you think management is willing to tolerate you if tend to screw up a lot? The thing is is my internship is going into the fall, where i’ll work 3 months during the summer and 5-8 weeks in the fall. I would like to complete all of it but I’m scared they will fire me. The thing is that my boss really seems to like me but I always seem to screw up in front of the CAD guys and they make me feel less than useless. This whole experience is making me question whether engineering is for me…</p>
<p>As long as your boss says you’re doing a good job, that’s all that matters. </p>
<p>I hope I don’t come off harsh or mean, but you need to grow some thicker skin. No matter what field you go into, there will be people who will say you’re doing a horrible job.</p>
<p>Ken is right!! The workplace is not a nourishing environment, in most cases. You do your best, and if your boss is happy with you, that’s what matters. I wish someone had told me that 25 years ago.</p>
<p>Well, let me present another view: your boss may “like” you, but if your screw-ups cost the company money or reputation, then you may very likely end up fired. I do not think you need thicker skin so much as you need a stronger backbone.</p>