Snapshots on the Job

I was volunteering at career day at a middle school the other day when a young girl asked me if I'd ever found anything creepy on a site visit before. I paused for a minute, caught off-guard by her plain curiosity, and thought about all of the stuff I've stumbled across on my visits to jobs and projects and old buildings over the last few months.

The answer, my dear, is yes, I have found creepy things on a site before. I've also found funny things, awe-inspiring things, things that give me butterflies and things that make me glad to be an engineer.

The point is, there is always so much more to any site visit than documenting the job at hand. Oftentimes, I learn more from being on site than I ever did in school. Here are some of the lessons I've learned on the job.

1. Always Bring Sensible Shoes

Don't get me wrong - I love a cute pair of shoes just as much as I love a hot cup of coffee; I go to great lengths planning my outfits for the week. But, when you're staring down a spiral staircase covered in shag carpeting, or a set of the steepest metal grate stairs you've ever seen, those perfectly picked pumps are the last thing you want on your tootsies!

2. Get it Right, then Get it Done

Sometimes, I have a tendency to just assume that everything is right the first time, and it will all work out perfectly, exactly as I planned. On this project, our client built an entire pod of workstations, cabinets and countertop out of foam and plywood, just to make sure they liked the setup before signing off on it.

Those drawers don't actually open, by the way.

3. Get to Know Your Surroundings

I'd been working on a project in Kokomo for a while before I learned about the Kokomo Opalescent Glass factory just down the street. One of the oldest glass factories in America, they have blown art glass and custom art pieces available along with thousands of sheets of glass available for purchase. What a fun little side adventure to discover a place like this!

4. It's About Creating Spaces, not Constructing Buildings

In the end, every project is about creating a space for the people who will inhabit it. It's empowering to know that I have the ability to be a part of creative designs and buildings that will be talked about in the news. However, the best part of my job is knowing that the people involved will have a space they can be proud of and comfortable in, and I get to be a part of that journey - from beginning to end.