Brandonlee Burke expanded his current role with Interstate Rock Productions as a Heavy Equipment Operator.
How did you get your internship?
I got the internship by making a pitch to the company that I’m currently working at. At first it wasn’t my intention to stay at my current place of work for my internship, because I initially found another opportunity but the organization that offered me a potential position wasn’t consistent in following up or following through, so I needed to pivot. I got the internship from my supervisor when I asked about expanding my role to develop a new skill set and he agreed.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
Through my experience as a heavy equipment operator. We’ve finished two construction projects and are about to complete a third one. Throughout the first two jobs I was in a water truck and a loader. My responsibilities were to be on dust control and loading up dump trucks and semi trucks with extra material that we had to get processed. My third job where I’m at now I was tasked to chip and break rock in the ground in order to lay sewage lines for future development.
What new skills did you gain during this experience?
Throughout my experience I learn how to communicate and be more social outside my main community. This allowed me to learn from the problem-solving of others in the construction industry and develop friendships as well. I also learned how to be more confident with work that I’ve done! Building that confidence and meeting new challenges helped me become a better man.
What is the impact of your internship experience?
I’ve learned a lot within the construction industry. Throughout my experience with the internship I finally understand how important teamwork and communication really is. Not only did I learned how to operate heavy equipment, I also learned how to do maintenance and work on the heavy equipment as well! I also gained a lot of safety tips on how to keep a work area safe when operating and running diagnosis tests.
What was your favorite or most satisfying part of your internship?
My favorite part of my internship experience was learning how to operate new equipment. Another thing was the feeling of success and accomplishment every time I finished a task or job projects with your heavy equipment. It was so meaningful for me because working in construction I work alongside my dad where he’s an operator. Hearing him tell me “good job” after work brought me a sense of wellbeing too, I would say. Just knowing that you’re making your father proud is probably the greatest feeling ever.