Civil Engineering Co-Op Story: Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board

Joshua Sanborn

Civil Engineering

What company did you intern with and where are they located?

Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board | Montgomery, AL

How did you identify and apply for your internship? Are there any specific resources you used to find the opportunity (i.e. Handshake, career fairs, other recruitment events)?

I was told about this opportunity from a friend who was also co-oping there. I met the employer at the Civil and Biosystems Engineering Career Fair and I applied for the position on Handshake.

What was the application process like?

It was quite simple. I met the employers at the career fair, had an interview with them via phone the next day, and applied to the position on Handshake. Once accepted, I used the company's website for onboarding.

Tell us about your internship experience. What types of tasks and projects did you engage in? Was there a particular project or part of the experience you learned the most from?

I reviewed plans with engineers, sent emails to engineers and customers, provided customer service and spoke to contractors over the phone. I also visited worksites for walkthroughs, ran calculations for flow studies with Microsoft Excel, and marked up PDF documents with BlueBeam.

In what ways did this internship help you prepare for your next destination after Auburn?

It gave me a good idea of what engineers actually do on the job and it helped me understand how they think and process their work.

In what ways did your coursework or other experiences at Auburn prepare you for your internships? Are there specific topics or skills you learned from classes that you put into practice on the job?

There were many classes such as Hydraulics and Construction in particular that helped me understand the language and know-how of my job. Hydraulics proved useful for flow studies.

Do you have any advice for other students looking for internships like yours?

Apply early and often. Talk to employers in-person. Make connections with other students in these positions because they can put in a good word for you!