I liked how I moved from different departments and got to see many different aspects of the roadways design and implementation. I worked with permitting, road design, and the lab over two summers.
What I wish was different
I wish that I would have done more related to my major, I’m bio engineering but more environmental, we saw some things during permitting but not any kind of testing.
Advice
If you are looking for a great paid opportunity in civil engineering or mechanical, I would recommend applying they take many interns over the whole state of Texas.
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Summer Engineering Technician
May - August 2021 • Austin, TX
What I liked
I worked for TxDOT's Transportation Planning & Programming Division, the part of the agency that creates and manages the state's federally mandated transportation planning plans. The work I did was very much in line with my interests. All the TxDOT employees I met were very enthusiastic about working with interns, as they viewed them as the future of the agency and clearly wanted them (and me!) to stay with the agency after graduation. Having that in mind, all the full-time employees I worked with very intentionally invested a lot of time in showing me how to do their work, and as a result, after some training I was given many tasks that the full-time employees do! Additionally, my supervisor allowed, and even encouraged, me to speak with the higher-ups in the division, and they were very happy to talk to me. The director of my division section even sat down with me for three hours straight to tell me as much as he could about TPP. It was fascinating! Just writing this is making me being there!
What I wish was different
Because TPP's work doesn't involve much field work and most can be done online, all of the other interns were working remotely. I was the only one on location at a TxDOT office. We communicated over MS Teams, but it would have been nice to interact more with other interns. This, however, was something rather unique to TPP. Other divisions operate very differently, so this likely would not be an issue outside of TPP.
Advice
I loved getting the chance to communicate with senior TxDOT employees, and they were always extremely open to talking with me! I would encourage anyone who gets a summer position at TxDOT to contact and speak with as many people as possible, even if they're outside of the division/district one might be working in. I called up an EA in Houston to ask about the research into autonomous vehicles he was doing, and he was more than happy to spend 45 minutes talking with me.
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Summer Support Tech
May - August 2021 • Amarillo, TX
What I liked
Lots of teamwork and excellent co workers.
What I wish was different
N/A
Advice
Be assertive.
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Summer Engineering Technician
May - August 2021 • Victoria, TX
What I liked
I enjoyed going out in the field everyday, seeing new things, and learning a lot.
What I wish was different
I wish that I would have been able to do more Engineering type work.
Advice
Texas Department of Transportation is a great place to work and you will learn a lot about our highway system.
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Engineering Apprentice
May - August 2021 • Snyder, TX
What I liked
The hours and friendships
What I wish was different
The weather
Advice
Ask questions and embrace the weather
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Maintenance Tech.
May - July 2020 • Groveton, TX
What I liked
Great people.
Learned a lot.
What I wish was different
N/A
Advice
Be prepared to learn.
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Engineering intern
June - August 2020 • Corpus Christi, TX
What I liked
The work I did was very interesting. I learned a lot of material that was actually useful.
What I wish was different
I wish I had been there in person
Advice
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Assistant Area engineer intern
May - August 2019 • Beaumont, TX
What I liked
Great environment, truly felt like I was apart of a family.
What I wish was different
Due to it being a state government job, there’s some regulations , but overall there is nothing I’d change.
Advice
Have fun, talk to your supervisors and everyone in the building.
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Summer Intern
May 2016 - August 2019 • Brownwood, TX
What I liked
I liked working there and being able to do different things. I enjoyed the people and how friendly everyone was.
What I wish was different
I wish I could have done something close to programming, but I’m not sure it was offered.
Advice
Do your best at everything that’s asked of you.
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Summer Technician
June - August 2019 • Athens, TX
What I liked
It was a 7-4 job and you had the ability to collect overtime hours which could turn into vacation or sick days. the pay was nice and the people were very helpful in getting me acclimated to my duties.
What I wish was different
I wish my bosses a more accurate timeline of the work I would be doing, I had a few large projects that they thought would take longer than they did and I ended up sweeping for the last two weeks of my time there.
Advice
just get your work done and do as you're told and you will be fine
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Summer Engineering Tech V
May - August 2019 • Denton, TX
What I liked
As a mechanical engineer, this internship allowed me to broaden my engineering experience into the construction industry
What I wish was different
Advice
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Engineering Intern
May - August 2019 • Keene, TX
What I liked
I really liked the fact that I got to learn about all of the job possibilities in TxDot, and that I got to be very hands-on from the roadwork design to the field inspections.
What I wish was different
I wish there were programs for international students to earn a job upon graduation with sponsorship.
Advice
It is a great experience for civil and structural engineers and proactive students that are willing to learn new things. I definitely gained experience beyond what any college can offer.
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Maintenance Tech II
May - August 2019 • Liberty, TX
What I liked
I really enjoyed how at mid summer, after helping with the maintenance crew on the road, I transferred to the inspection side of TxDOT to further gain knowledge about my future career in Civil Engineering.
What I wish was different
I wish I would have applied for the inspection side of TxDOT to become even more knowledgable about the Civil Engineering subject.
Advice
I would advise anybody to go work with the Texas Department of Transportation if you would like to become a Civil Engineer. Great experiences and great people.
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Civil Engineering Intern
May - August 2019 • New Braunfels, TX
What I liked
I really liked being able to see the steps of constructing all types of projects such as bridges, roads and sidewalks.
What I wish was different
I wish I could have worked with the bridge division or design team to get a well rounded education.
Advice
What you put in to the internship is what you will get out of it. Ask questions. Listen to advice. Experience everything you can.
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Summer Engineering Tech 6
May - August 2019 • Sulphur Springs, TX
What I liked
The people there were very friendly and willing to help you out whenever you needed it. I liked being able to go to different job sites to work and every site had something different that we could learn about.
What I wish was different
There is nothing that I would wish to be different. It was an overall great experience.
Advice
Always be willing to learn something new and your summertime there will be rewarding.
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Maintenance Tech 2
May - August 2019 • Waco, TX
What I liked
It was a family orientated work field. Safety is the one of there biggest concerns and they try their best to put you in the safest positions to succeed daily.
What I wish was different
As a summer hire, I wish that I was able to handle more heavy equipment and gain that experience working with those type of machines.
Advice
Working for the Texas Department of Transportation was a great experience. It helped me gain knowledge in all the activities that go into maintaining Texas's state highways and transportation systems.
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Rotational Summer Intern
May - August 2019 • Corpus Christi, TX
What I liked
Easy work hours
Monday - Friday 8am-5pm with holidays off.
The everyone there is eager to teach you and they push you to think like an engineer.
What I wish was different
Some sort of rotation program so you can experience all
Of the different sections that oversee different engineering problems.
Advice
If you are offered to work for the state I highly recommend it, it is a great starting point in your engineering career.
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Summer Engineering Tech V
May - August 2019 • San Antonio, TX
What I liked
The people, the experience, the rotational system to get exposed to different areas of the job.
What I wish was different
Nothing.
Advice
Take the opportunity to learn as much as you can and network with people. Keep a journal and write down what you did everyday so you can refer back to it in the future.
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Summer Maintenance Tech II
June - August 2019 • Childress, TX
What I liked
Great people to work with, great experience.
What I wish was different
A few of the job responsibilities were a little too demanding
Advice
N/A
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Summer Engineering Technician
May - August 2019 • Denton, TX
What I liked
I learned a lot at my internship. It was the first time I had a job I was good at, and enjoyed. I liked that I was exposed to being in the field, in a lab, and in design.
What I wish was different
Advice
I highly recommend the internship at TxDot. Especially for a first-time internship.
