Work Immersion: A reflection

Prima Rose Palgue

Throughout my work immersion at City Engineer’s Office, I was lucky and fortunate
enough to have experienced firsthand, observed, and learned many diverse sides of what goes
into a project, particularly government projects like road widening, improvement of
multipurpose hall, development of drainage, and all sorts of projects that are funded by the
government. I was able to grasp the general process of how a project is primarily planned,
developed, and completed; including how much work and detail goes into every stage of
planning and developing. Moreover, I have learned the many various types of work an Engineer
has to execute and carry out, which in turn, have equipped me with more insight into the
different types of roles and responsibilities that I could perform, as a future Civil Engineer.

Throwback to my first day, After being introduced to everyone, Engr. Carreon, whom
they all branded the best engineer when it comes to estimation of materials, handed us blueprints
to work on, in which he asked if we can do the material and cost estimation on the project. We
were so shy and ashamed but we humbly told him that we still don’t know how to read technical
drawing, and consequently, we don’t know how to properly estimate. We all thought we got him
disappointed, but after a few minutes, he called us again and taught us the basics. After that, the
draftsman who is in charge of doing technical drawings on AUTOCADD offered to teach us.
This instantly made me feel comfortable and definitely made me feel as though I was part of the
team.

During the first week, I was overwhelmed by the work and the responsibilities that were
placed on me. Out of us 8 who were deployed, every engineers would only ask me to work, like
encode on computer, file papers, write letters, compute an invoice, calculate the materials
needed, etc. I was definitely pressured because I am afraid to get something wrong. But the
engineers were very kind to teach me whenever I get something wrong and I felt more confident
and supported as I knew my work would be double checked and any uncertainties will be
explained.

I found that the workplace itself was relatively diverse. There are surveyors, project
supervisors/managers, electrical engineers, geodetic engineers, sanitary engineers, and civil
engineers all working in the one office. This broad variety of people have different strengths,
weaknesses and qualifications and they work together and organize their work in sync with one
another so that work flows and they are able to complete their work proficiently in order to
present it to the client on time. This in turn, succeeds to help the workplace become better as
team and as a result creates a respectable atmosphere in the working environment.
 I realized that engineering deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the
physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams and
buildings. Observing all the engineers in the Tarlac City Hall- CEO lured me more to this
profession. What really made me really realized the importance of engineering was the fact that
it is centered on improving the lives of people. By continuously developing and upgrading the
services and facilities of the public, it not only gives the Engineer a sense of responsibility
towards humanity but brings forth a sense of satisfaction that the work carried out by the
engineer contributes significantly to the wellbeing of the society. Engineers are an integral part
of society, without them, we would have no roads, airports, buildings, dams, harbours etc.

Office time is spent on planning, making appointment and meetings. Most of the time,
Engineers are outdoors at work sites monitoring buildings, running projects and tackling project
issues. They are always on the move and what’s exciting is the fact that each project has its own
distinct design challenges and operational issues. This makes engineering an exciting profession
as projects vary significantly from one another.

What I really admired on the engineers of CEO is their teamwork and creativity.
Engineers work closely with contractors, architects and construction workers on various projects.
This interaction brings forth a platform to share knowledge and ideas. Engineers are team players
and this paves the way to becoming great leaders within the community. Engineers combine
strong technical competence with creative designing. They take pleasure in establishing creative
structures coupled with state of the art technology and architectural flair. Their line of work
requires the knowledge of the construction industry, including electrical, plumbing systems and
functional workings.

To be honest, I really wanted to take Political Economy, but this conflicted with what my
parents were telling me that I have to be practical. And as time gave way to the impending
reality, I started to see things more clearly. In a world as competitive as the one we live in, I
decided that I could always take that course on the side of a more secured occupation. I am in
STEM; so going into an engineering course seemed like a rather promising prospect. My parents
supported that but fail to realize that math is where I am weakest. Thinking about math really
discourages me. But I remember having a conversation with Engr. Magsino, and told him that I
don’t think I could be an engineer because I’m not good at math. He told me that Engineering is
not so much being good at math but more about having a passion for understanding how things
work and interact. He also emphasized that math shall never be a hindrance. Moreover he told
me “Marami ng Civil Engineers sa Pilipinas. Kaya kailangan merong ‘something’ sainyo na
magseseparate sainyo sa ibang civil engineers.” He told me that I am young and so far that is my
greatest asset because being I have tons of time and fresh ability to learn new skills quickly and I
should use that to my advantage.
 I was so thankful that I was given the chance to see the ground realities of being an
engineer. I will put in mind and heart all the lessons and values learned during my 2-week work
immersion and I’ll keep the fire of hope burning within me as I face each day dreaming,
anticipating and slowly becoming the person I want to be- a Civil Engineer.