Internships Teach What You Can't Learn In The Classroom

Written By: Rachel Dempsey

​“I have learned more in two summers interning at MCL Construction than I have in all of my years of school combined,” stated Drew Pflug, one of MCL’s interns this summer.

Drew is going to be a senior at UNL this fall majoring in Construction Management.  Even though he is learning essential details in the classroom, he finds that being able to work in the actual business is when he really learns the most. 

This summer is actually his second internship with MCL Construction.  Drew first interned with the company in the summer of 2017 and decided that he loved it so much to come back. 

“I wanted the internship because you can’t really ever be too far ahead, so that was the way I saw it and you can’t really get the experience in the classroom, and I have learned so much in that first summer that I didn’t know, which ended up helping me a lot in school,” said Drew. 

Drew was a project engineer intern his first summer and holds the same position now.  Although he is in the same internship field, the overall experience he is learning this time around is a lot different. 

“The project was a little farther along that summer, so it is nice that I can see things from the ground up this time with things like foundation,” explained Drew.  “I get to do quite a few different things now and I have received more responsibilities that are important things to learn, which has gotten me to jump right into the project engineer role.”

​One main thing Drew really enjoys about interning for MCL is their flexibility.  After receiving his internship, Drew was able to sit down with MCL’s Project Engineer Austin Kay and Superintendent Scott Mendick to come up with, as a group, what was going to be most beneficial to his learning experience.  In the end, they decided to rotate Drew between field work and office work to really expand his knowledge in all aspects of construction.

“They are not babying me and they aren’t giving me nothing, they are giving me tasks that are challenging but still doable, which I really appreciate,” commented Drew.

Drew’s main challenge he has faced between the two summers has been his lack of knowledge but, to him, it is also one of the things that has helped him the most with learning and school. 

“Ultimately, I think my lack of knowledge has helped me in many different ways, but mainly because it makes me want to go out and learn more and get the experience in individual areas of construction,” revealed Drew. 

Being thorough in the construction field is what Drew believes to be the most important to him, which encourages him to pay more attention when being trained and when performing tasks asked of him.  After graduating, Drew hopes to be able to dive right into things and, given the opportunity, would like to continue to work for MCL Construction. 

To any future interns or individuals looking to be a part of the construction field, remember that any experience can go a long way, just like a single internship has advanced Drew’s career for the future, allowing him to stand out among the others his age.