As a STAMPP intern I learned a lot about what goes on in PennDOT. It was very interesting in a lot of ways. We drove all over the county surveying shoulders, guide rails, and drainage ways. I can no longer drive down the road and look at certain objects without telling the person next to me what they are and how they work.
What I wish was different
I wish I had been assigned with the plans team instead of the surveying crew so I could go to job cites and talk with the head engineers on those projects.
Advice
To those who are looking into this internship they should know to get a good nights rest and pack a healthy lunch due to the amount of walking involved in summer heat. Also, pay attention in training, it will save a lot of hadaches later.
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Commonwealth public service intern
May 2019 • Warren, PA
What I liked
I liked the people, engineering experience, learning processes, applicable problem solving, getting paid.
What I wish was different
The hiring process is slow, work is sometimes inefficient.
Advice
I would recommend this to any engineering student (or any major) to work for the department of transportation as an intern because it can lead to good job opportunities, especially in rural PA.
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Engineering Scientific and Technical Intern
May - August 2022 • Harrisburg, PA
What I liked
I had the experience of working on and with machines which I wasn't very familiar with on a daily basis, such as Pennsylvania's 2nd largest universal testing machine. Experience with more machines is great, but these machines tested rebar, steel mesh, polypropylene geotextiles, and plastic culvert pipes to failure. The materials science and testing aspect of this internship was a very useful bonus to the machine experience.
What I wish was different
I wish I was able to spend a day in each section of the laboratory. I tested a variety of steel, concrete, plastic, and geotextiles' physical yield and breaking strength daily, however, I did not get to test asphalt or aggregate chemically. The physical lab is certainly where I wanted to work, but it would've been informational to spend a day in the other lab sections.
Advice
The Commonwealth, and Department of Transportation specifically, is known to be a hyper-political environment where anyone can get anywhere as long as they have congressional recommendation. I'm happy to say that it is very possible to land positions based only on personal merit without any intervention from any other state or political figure.
If you want the experience offered by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania employment, you have a real chance of landing it without any external political assistance.
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Engineering Scientific and Technical Intern
May - August 2021 • Indiana, PA
What I liked
The amount of walking and being outside was a great way to forget about the pandemic.
What I wish was different
My last supervisor was not as good as the rest had been.
Advice
Make sure that you speak up for yourself but be courteous about it. If someone does not know or understand something they need to know for their daily job function, make sure that they learn.
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Government Service Intern
June - August 2021 • Bloomfield, PA
What I liked
I loved working on Pennsylvania's roads first hand, filling pot holes, clearing drains, putting up temporary road signs, riding in dump trucks, jumping out of dump trucks to save turtles, and what most of my time was spent doing: flagging. Many days were grueling labor in very hot, dangerous conditions, but at the end of the day it always felt good knowing that you've helped a huge number of fellow Pennsylvanians.
What I wish was different
I wish I was able to do a few more things. My stockpile (a specific area that acts as a hub for about 10 workers as well as a material and vehicle storage facility) was one of 7 in Perry County, PA. They had rules forbidding interns from driving the pick-up trucks, but interns were allowed to do labor outside of flagging.
Just across the river in Dauphin County, one of my friends in the same position with the same lack of certification beyond a regular drivers license actually drove so much they got tired of it. Contrarily, they were not allowed to do the same manual labor I was doing.
Advice
I absolutely do not say this with intent to exclude anyone. I believe we're all equal and all capable of the work available here. With that important preface covered, I strongly recommend that women and non-white peers avoid working with road crews.
Perhaps other crews behave differently, however I can say with the complete confidence of hearing remarkably cruel, racist, sexist remarks multiple times everyday at any remotely possible opportunity. For perspective, I heard several different coworkers say the n-word multiple times every day. If I didn't look the way I do, I truly believe I would've had a bad time.
