What it's like to intern at Arcadis

Following my second year at Georgia Tech, I wasn’t sure what a consulting career would be like, so I decided to intern with Arcadis to learn more about the job.

Over the summer, I worked on the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) MS4 Program and City of Atlanta  projects, doing everything from best management practices (BMP), stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPP), and dam inspections in the field to finalized reports for client use. I also worked closely with various municipal clients, presented to their leadership teams, and participated in many projects.

The goal of my internship was to learn more about the role of a consultant, and while the hands-on experiences I had with Arcadis this summer helped me accomplish this, what I found to be most enlightening were the real-life lessons you can’t learn in a classroom.

First, I learned that schooling alone isn’t going to prepare me for my career, and that no one is going to tell me exactly what to do once I’m on a job. For example, in my fluid mechanics class, we learned what a piezometer—a device used to measure underground water pressure—looked like via two-dimensional drawings or diagrams in textbooks. Once on a project site, though, I saw what a piezometer really looks like, which is quite different. If not for this real-world experience, I wouldn’t know what to look for when arriving on a site.

Next, I learned how to prevent and cope with burnout, and how to ask for help when I need it. The first project I worked on as an intern was GDOT’s MS4 inspections, where I performed ArcGIS mapping and completed my first SWPPP. To show I could produce high quality work quickly, I completed the project in an hour. Trying to keep up this pace long-term, however, led to feelings of burnout and I realized that it wouldn’t be sustainable over time. I learned that it’s okay to take my time and that fast isn’t always better.

I then had a meeting with a senior leader in the Atlanta office to work on a summer plan, which outlined the Arcadians I should connect with during my internship and what projects my teammates were working on. As busy as he is, he worked on the plan with me for three hours. I also had meetings with senior leaders from other Arcadis offices who were willing to help me on my projects. While the first lesson I mentioned is true—no one is going to tell you exactly what to do—I learned that if I ask for help when I need it, there is always someone willing to lend a hand.

Lastly, perhaps the most important lesson I learned during my internship, was how to find my purpose, which is something I struggled with at first. When I was asked about the projects I worked on, I found myself using words like “just” a lot. I’d say I was “just working on inspection reports” or “just doing fieldwork”, which minimized my work and impact. I began asking people how they found their purpose, and had a memorable conversation with a colleague, who explained that when she found herself doing seemingly monotonous work, she’d take a step back and look at the big picture. For example, while each individual piece of the SWPPPs we work on may feel inconsequential, once complete, they help protect the environment and show clients where to direct their limited resources, making the plans extremely valuable to our clients. Many of our clients are trying to do good in their communities, but don’t have the resources to do it and our SWPPPs help them address this issue.

I realized, too, that I was not alone in my journey to find my purpose. Many of my colleagues and mentors during my internship confided to me that they’d also questioned their impact, though ironically, these are the very people who greatly impacted my experience.