The company culture was very inviting overall, and going to work was seen as something beyond simply accomplishing a straightforward goal, but an opportunity to learn and advance my career path and knowledge as an engineer in the land development department. Great flexibility in work hours that are very accommodating to my heavy full time school work schedule at the time. Freedom to work with different departments and explore various fields of study before confirming where I want to be in my future as an aspiring civil engineer. Mentoring from experienced engineers on my team helped me become a better designer in general.
What I wish was different
The work load is very CAD heavy, Autodesk Civil 3D is used daily in conjunction with other programs/extensions such as Hydraflow, PondPack, Storm and Sanitary Analysis, Express, HEC-RAS, and general Excel calculations. The learning curve for these programs was a little bit challenging, however with the excellent mentoring that was provided it was not a terrible experience to work with the various software. Overall the internship was primarily 90% office CAD design and 10% field inspections/verification whenever they needed me to go on site itself. I would have preferred more field work, but it seemed more necessary for me to learn the design process before venturing out into the construction side of the projects.
Advice
If it is one thing that I can take away from my experience at Suburban, it is that college literally prepared me for nothing when it comes to the real world of engineering. The engineering courses that I have taken at my college helped me understand the theory behind some calculations, but it never taught me practicality and actual application of engineering design. The overall experience of learning how projects are designed and built with the (and I cannot stress this enough) excellent mentoring offered by the workplace is truly eye opening. When driving around on the road I no longer think about "What turn do I need to take to get to my destination?" rather I would remember the teachings of my supervisor and think "Why was this this road designed the way it is?". After ending my internship and going back as a full time student, the real world engineering mindset never left me and all really wanted to do was just graduate and start working again. My internship at Suburban made me love the field of engineering and what it has to offer and I honestly would not be where I am today if it was not for my work experience there.
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Human Resources Intern
May 2018 • Flanders, NJ
What I liked
The culture is something that is really amazing. I really enjoyed the information taught to me throughout my internship that when I received the offer letter to join the team full-time, I had no doubt that I wanted to join. What I learned at SCE really helped me during all of my classes.
What I wish was different
I had a great experience interning and I am enjoying my time working full-time. There is nothing that I wish was different.
Advice
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Everyone is very welcoming and willing to answer questions, show you new ways to complete things. Even though there a multiple departments, when you are here you don't feel that way. It feels like one big family!
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Survey
May - November 2018 • Flanders, NJ
What I liked
The atmosphere was phenomenal, and the different work experience taught me a lot about my field.
What I wish was different
Wish interns were more involved in group activities.
Advice
You learn more during a summer internship than your four years in college.
