The 2022 Intern Experience

Every year, Barghausen opens its doors to aspiring engineers for the opportunity to gain real-world experience through paid internships. The vision behind our internship program is to integrate classroom knowledge with hands-on exposure to develop professional skills. Our interns get to work directly with each discipline to understand the land development process and the dynamics of working on a design team. This process includes site walks, which ended up being our interns' favorite aspects of the program this summer! They had the opportunity to visit commercial, industrial and residential sites to see how project plans come to life. Learning how Barghausen’s disciplines work together is an important aspect of the internship experience, but learning how our services tie into other development processes in the industry is equally as important. Each week, industry leaders joined us for Lunch and Learns to teach our interns about their expertise and how it interacts with engineering. “My favorite lunch & learn topic was West Consultants, I learned about floodplain modeling and data analysis. I didn’t know anything before the presentation regarding the topic, hearing the types of projects they work on, the programs they use, and the liability that comes with these types of projects was very interesting”. Our 2022 interns showed up with a can-do attitude, a learning mindset and gave the program their all this summer. It was a privilege to be part of their journey! Good luck to all four of you as you head back to college! Read below to hear about their experience with Barghausen this summer.

2022 Lunch & Learns:

• Geotechnical Engineering – Terra & Associates
• Architecture – Synthesis Architects
• Environmental & Critical Areas – Soundview Consultants
• Flood Plain & Hydrology – West Consultants
• Transportation Planning & Design – TENW
• Land Use - Johns Monroe Mitsunaga Koloušková, PLLC
• AEC Marketing - Barghausen

2022 Site Walks:

• Sedron Technologies | Commercial | Sumner, WA
• Smith Dairy | Industrial | Federal Way, WA
• Lakeland Ridge | Residential | Lake Tapps, WA
• Multiple undeveloped survey sites | Greater Seattle Area

Interested in becoming a 2023 intern? Submit an inquiry through our contact page to learn more.

What to expect:

• Weekly Lunch & Learns
• Site Walks
• Compensation
• Team Bonding Events
• Real Work Assignments
• Half Day Fridays

Intern Insights

Lucas Lazaga | Seattle University, pursuing BS in Civil Engineering with a current focus on Geotech/structural path

What was the most valuable aspect of the internship for you?

The most valuable aspect of the internship for me was being in an environment where I get to learn and this program set me up to always be learning as I moved throughout the teams here in the company being able to work with design, project, and principal engineers working on such a variety of projects. Getting to see how different levels of engineers here communicate with clients and other engineers when working together was an aspect I really valued as a company that is usually the main Contractor, Engineer and Surveyor for their projects, there is a lot of organization that needs to be done.

What was your favorite memory with Barghausen this summer?

My favorite memory this summer would have to be the cornhole tournament event where I got to do some socializing and meet some other engineers from a different company and have a good time.

What excited you the most during the internship?

The most exciting part of the internship for me was the site visits. I had the opportunity to see a variety of project types in different stages from pre demolition for a residential project, to a wastewater treatment facility mid construction phase, to a warehouse in its foundation pouring phase where we also got to see a retaining wall being stacked with interlocking precast concreate blocks. Through reading and creating plan sets I was able to build a good understanding of the necessary components to a certain type of project through its scope. But being able to look at site plans while on site was a “stars aligning” moment each time as a lot of things clicked in my head when I saw these 2D shapes on my paper as 400 square foot objects right in front of my face.

How can future interns optimize their internship experience?

Do some CAD work right beforehand so that when you start here, you can try to apply what you’ve learned, I had to take a couple weeks to get a good grip on CAD through asking lots of questions before I was able to do any applicable work. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions because nobody here has any expectation that you will know really anything, as there is so much on the job learning, school can only conceptually prepare you for understanding physical processes. The questions you ask don’t need to be specific to anything you’re working on either, most of the people here have been in the industry for a good amount of time and have some pretty interesting projects and clients they have worked for and it’s always fun to pick their brains about the experiences they have had. The most valuable questions I have asked were towards understanding the structure and vital elements of the company that help to make this company so successful.

What are your plans after you graduate?

After the upcoming schoolyear I plan to move back home to Lynnwood and start up my career as an engineer using all that I have learned here at Barghausen.

What was your favorite lunch & learn topic?

My favorite lunch & learn topic was West Consultants because I feel like I really learned the most during that presentation about floodplain modeling and data analysis. I didn’t know anything before the presentation regarding the topic, so after hearing the types of projects they work on, the programs they used (HEC-Res), and the liability that it comes with these types of projects I found it very interesting. I really enjoyed each lunch & learn I got to see this summer as I already knew that these departments and subcontractors existed, but never really looked into how they contribute to a project or company.

Reflection:

I also really enjoyed the Friday breakfasts, Thursday lunch & learns, site visits, free mariners and sounders games and the positive energy brought to the office every day. I am very thankful for those who designed the intern program, who checked in on me consistently to see if I needed any help, and to everyone here for being so open and welcoming to us interns throughout the summer. I have really enjoyed my time here and will use my platforms in leadership at my school to speak highly of Barghausen and its program to other aspiring engineers at my school.

Molly Foote | Seattle University, Civil Engineers, structural/tract focus

What was the most valuable aspect of the internship for you?

Being able to rotate around multiple teams and see what they do, and how they operate was fantastic. I know at other internships; the interns don’t always get to see other departments or learn about the other components that come into play. I also really liked how we got to sit near everyone and be included in meetings and site visits.

What was your favorite memory with Barghausen this summer?

My favorite memory with Barghausen this summer was going on two punch walks in Oregon. Although the trip was very quick, I had fun taking photos of the sites, checking the area, and being able to observe the interactions between engineers and contractors.

What excited you the most during the internship?

I was just really excited to be able to work on projects. I had a lot of fun with the assigned tasks because this internship came with a huge learning curve for me, so when I was able to fix a small detail, or figure something out on Civil 3D; it felt good.

How can future interns optimize their internship experience?

Don’t be afraid to talk to anyone and everyone. It’s not only fun to get to know people at the company, but also a great way to learn. This is an opportunity to learn about the profession and getting to know/becoming more comfortable with interacting with others; is incredibly beneficial. Also, make sure to write everything down; from key terminology to fun facts about a site or project. Review what you wrote down or try to talk about it with someone.

What are your plans after you graduate?

After graduating I plan on staying in Washington and continuing to enjoy the PNW. I hope to get a St. Bernard and start doing activities that I didn’t have time for during school.

What was your favorite lunch & learn topic?

I really enjoyed the lunch & learn with TENW. I liked learning about the considerations that go into the design process.

Alejandro Robles | Seattle University, Environmental Engineering, Minors: Mathematics, Environmental Science

What was the most valuable aspect of the internship for you?

Being able to learn more about the different types of engineering and how they all work together. Also seeing what causes Barghausen to be as successful as it is.

What was your favorite memory with Barghausen this summer?

The first day when they brought out the food truck and I met everyone. I really felt welcomed, and I think starting out on the right foot is important.

What excited you the most during the internship?

I enjoyed site visits a lot. Visualizing what is on the paper in real life makes you really appreciate some of the stuff you work on.

How can future interns optimize their internship experience?

Ask lots of questions. More than you think are necessary and especially when you don’t understand something because there’s going to be a lot you don’t understand.

What are your plans after you graduate?

I plan on staying around the Seattle area. I really like living here and I know a bunch of amazing people here too. However, I don’t want to rule out anything, I’m always open to new experiences.

What was your favorite lunch & learn topic?

Marketing was great. I enjoyed learning about important branding and presentation was to the success of Barghausen. I also really enjoyed the WEST consultant lunch and learn; flood modeling and risk aversion is interesting to me.

Nolan Hubbel | WSU, Civil Engineering

What was the most valuable aspect of the internship for you?

Getting experience working in a high-stress environment while learning new skills within CAD programs.

What was your favorite memory with Barghausen this summer?

The cornhole tournaments with the company were a lot of fun.

What excited you the most during the internship?

Getting to work on projects and seeing the job sites where those projects are going to be built. Job site visits are very helpful for people who are visual learners as they can look at the plans and relate them to real world areas.

How can future interns optimize their internship experience?

Take as much information as possible and ask questions often. The faster you learn how the company works the faster you can optimize your workflow to meet expectations set by others.

What are your plans after you graduate?

I plan to come back to Barghausen and work for them full-time.

What was your favorite lunch & learn topic?

The marketing lunch and learn was interesting to me because It's relatively new to the company and helped me see how the company is evolving in today's society.