AJ Construction Internship
The Link program is a 3 week long internship where AHS juniors must complete 90 hours with a company in order to gain experience and help with future steps after high school. Students get to search for a company, and in non covid times, students can travel for their internships.
I was lucky enough to intern with AJ Construction. They are a excavation company that services through trucking, road construction, fire mitigation, site prep, and general excavation. They have heavy machinery that they send out to different job sites, depending on the job. My LINK project is the experience I got and the work that I did. I gained new skills like time management, problem solving, and a drive to learn. I also got great experience running some smaller machinery, and saw what the laboring jobs are like.
LINK Reflection
Going into Link previous skills that I already had like time management and adaptability helped me tons in the first couple days of interning. I woke up at 6:30 every morning and arrived on time at the work yard at 7:30 everyday. Adaptability came into play because I was honestly super nervous to work with the other people that weren’t Rory (my step dad), but when it happened I felt comfortable and was able to get to know each crew of dudes pretty well. After finishing Link however I can say that new skills I acquired would be gaining some physical strength, better communication, and the willingness to learn. It was an important step for me to get more comfortable talking to the older workers, because that led to me asking more questions and not being some awkward kid. The same goes for my willingness to learn, because at first it’s scary and embarrassing when for example I was running a machine and told I was doing it wrong, but I stepped back and saw it as a chance to grow and get better at the job. During internship, I did face some challenges that helped me grow as a working man. The biggest challenge that I faced was learning that construction may not be the route for me. I was working really hard coming home tired every day, but as a long term job, it doesn’t seem realistic. Another challenge I faced was my size. When operating machinery that weighs more than you, at times they can be hard to control. But I learned you really just got to take the reins and keep that baby doing what it’s supposed to.
As for future interns, I believe AJ and other construction companies would be great experiences for juniors. One thing one of my foreman said on my last day is how important the infrastructure industry is, and that there is always going to be a need for workers. For kids that aren’t sure of what they want to do after high school, I think that construction is a good industry to learn about. For me, I was kind of lost when looking for an internship that interests me, and when I closed in on working with AJ, I didn’t feel lost. As an intern, I labored doing things like running small machinery, working a shovel, or setting grade. I worked hard, and I don’t think other students got to experience that type of hard work, and more students should. This internship was a big step in figuring out what I want to do after high school. It taught me that construction might not be a reliable career, but I learned other interests through it. With big excavation companies like AJ, when it becomes fire season, the Forest service contracts out their machinery. When working on fires through contractors, you get paid pretty well, and better than the hand crews like hot shots. So, after learning this, my plan is to go to Colorado Mountain College and get a degree in fire science as well as some other courses, but use my degree to become a firefighter.
As for future interns, I believe AJ and other construction companies would be great experiences for juniors. One thing one of my foreman said on my last day is how important the infrastructure industry is, and that there is always going to be a need for workers. For kids that aren’t sure of what they want to do after high school, I think that construction is a good industry to learn about. For me, I was kind of lost when looking for an internship that interests me, and when I closed in on working with AJ, I didn’t feel lost. As an intern, I labored doing things like running small machinery, working a shovel, or setting grade. I worked hard, and I don’t think other students got to experience that type of hard work, and more students should. This internship was a big step in figuring out what I want to do after high school. It taught me that construction might not be a reliable career, but I learned other interests through it. With big excavation companies like AJ, when it becomes fire season, the Forest service contracts out their machinery. When working on fires through contractors, you get paid pretty well, and better than the hand crews like hot shots. So, after learning this, my plan is to go to Colorado Mountain College and get a degree in fire science as well as some other courses, but use my degree to become a firefighter.
Resume
Photo used under Creative Commons from MGI Construction Corp.