Affinis Interns Recap Their Summer

This summer, we had two college students working as interns at Affinis. Conner Jackson, a construction engineering technology student at Missouri Western University, served on our construction services team, working largely in the field. Jason Eskina, a civil engineering student from the University of Kansas, was in our Overland Park office, learning from our engineers. We asked them both to tell us about their experience as interns. They shared their first impressions, what they learned, and the advice they’d offer another intern. The responses to their interview are below.

What were your first impressions of Affinis before you started?
Conner: John McCanless had given me a rundown of the summer before I started. It sounded like it had some freedom with it and that I’d be going from site-to-site. He said I’d be on a lot of inspections with him during my time at Affinis.

Jason: A family friend told me about how great the firm would be to work for. Before starting, I didn’t have a lot of preconceived ideas of what it would be like working there.

What are they now?
Conner: Affinis has a really personal approach to its co-workers, as compared to other companies. Here, you can talk to anyone. Everyone is open and willing to answer questions.

Jason: I started with an open-mind and was glad they gave me engineering work to do. I was able to sit in on meetings as an intern. Everyone was very accessible. They answered my questions and were always willing to help.

What has surprised you about the position?
Conner: I was worried about being in the office a lot, but we were on-site all the time. I liked that.

Jason: They gave me a list of what my goals were, and we worked towards achieving those. We were able to hit everything on the list.

What did you enjoy most?
Conner: The highlight for me was everything I learned. I enjoyed seeing all the steps that go into building roads.

Jason: I liked the atmosphere there and the people I worked with.

What did you learn?
Conner: I learned all the processes that go into constructing a roadway.

Jason: I learned what it’s going to be like after I graduate and the kind of work I’ll be doing.

What advice would you give to another intern?
Conner: Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Jason: When you’re getting close to finishing a project or task, let people know ahead of time that you’ll be ready for more work soon. That gives them time to find something for you to do without putting them on the spot. If they don’t have something ready, don’t be afraid to ask someone else.