# First job, any advice?



## tiohoh (Jan 2, 2011)

Happy New Year everyone! I'm a recent CE grad and have been offered a position with Turner Construction on the east coast. I'm really excited about working in the CM industry, and I was wondering if anyone has any advice for me as I navigate through the transition between college life and my first job. Does anyone have experience with this company? What should I be focusing on in my first 90 days at the job? Thank you!


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## geypo (Jan 2, 2011)

make the best out of it &amp; be glad you found a job in a related field.


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## Dleg (Jan 2, 2011)

I know nothing about the company, but congrats on getting a job. My advice is to bust your ass and take on as much as you can, so you learn as much as possible and have more to offer your employer when future opportunities for promotion come up, or for another employer if they don't. Good luck!


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## ironman (Jan 4, 2011)

Look for a PE in your company that is willing to stamp your time off for the work that you do and THEN get your books and start studying for your PE, maybe work on a masters degree one class at a time. Learn as much as you can with the projects you are given and keep a technical thumb drive of all techncial material because you never know when you might use it again (mathcad/excel templates, specs and codes, etc) also archive and keep all emails on that thumb drive along with technical web favorites. Companies come and go and you might be moved office spaces etc but you want to keep all the technical information you come across that you find is useful. I would recommend a 32 GB thumb drive or if you have the money a 128 GB one.


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## kevo_55 (Jan 4, 2011)

Turner in NYC? hmy:

:joke:

To be honest, get to work on time and apply what you have learned (at school or on the job). Those two items will get you far in any company.

I wouldn't be thinking about the first 90 days. You won't be 100% into your job until the first year is up.


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## DynaMechEng (Jan 4, 2011)

Congrats on getting your first job! Understand that even though you have an engineering degree, you're still very green. There will be lots of on the job training and it's going to take a while to get up to speed. Don't get discouraged! No one should be expecting you to hit the ground running. Come in early, stay late, and put in your best effort.

Do more listening than talking, and whenever you're given a task, take the time to do it right. Focus on doing stuff well, not on doing it fast!


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## navyasw02 (Jan 4, 2011)

#1 Dont think you know everything, cause you dont

#2 Dont be afraid to speak up when you do know something everyone else doesnt, because you will

#3 Find the perfect balance of #1 and #2 and by then you're ready for your next job.

Other than that, never say no to anything. Even shoveling turds can open doors you'd never expect.


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## ironman (Jan 5, 2011)

navyasw02 said:


> #1 Dont think you know everything, cause you dont#2 Dont be afraid to speak up when you do know something everyone else doesnt, because you will
> 
> #3 Find the perfect balance of #1 and #2 and by then you're ready for your next job.
> 
> Other than that, never say no to anything. Even shoveling turds can open doors you'd never expect.


eh, I dont know if I would go so far as never saying no to anything. If they want you to do remote rotation work and you are married or in a relationship that can really mess up your work life ballance. Hopefully you can get your first 4 years and your PE without your employer trying to exploit you, your first 4 years before your PE you are the most vulnerable so just keep your nose down and dont expose yourself to things you really dont want to do. It just depends on you and what you want to do. If they want you to do something crazy like go to libia or some platform in the ocean make them make it worth your while otherwise whats the point of having a degree.


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## Bean PE (Jan 5, 2011)

Make the most of it. You'll probably be working an ungodly number of hours but Turner is a place you can learn a lot. If you're good at your job things will get better in a couple years, assuming their work doesn't dry up and you get laid off. It's best to understand ahead of time that the labor on your projects will make far more per hour than you will for the first few years (at least).


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## maryannette (Jan 5, 2011)

Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Get along with people.

If you do anything that people will remember, make sure it's something you'll want them to remember.


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## ErichB (Jan 8, 2011)

On top of what everyone said, for your sake, *TAKE NOTES!* Get a notebook, and write down everything that someone (especially your supervisor) discusses with you, especially if it is a procedure for your task. That way, you won't be caught asking the same questions over and over.

Also, do take notes on what you observe during your task. If you notice anything that seems odd, write it down *in complete detail*, and bring it to the attention of your supervisor ASAP, no matter how insignificant it seems to you.


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## Trev... P.E. (Jan 8, 2011)

I recommend you keep a logbook (digitally, hardcopy, whatever) of all the projects you are involved in, the clients, contacts, etc... keep business cards if you get them and put them in your log and write down what you did with/for those individuals. Write down what tasks you did, in engineering or project management, anything that made more money for the company, anything that met or exceeded expectations. etc etc, you get the drift...

As another poster mentioned, copy your email &amp; all project files from anything you worked on, keep it confidential of course should you leave...

One day you will want to update your resume.

Depending on your state you may also need to detail every project you were involved in on your PE application, as well as get references from other PEs. Having good records will make this so much easier.


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## Sleepy (Jan 8, 2011)

Trev said:


> I recommend you keep a logbook (digitally, hardcopy, whatever) of all the projects you are involved in, the clients, contacts, etc... keep business cards if you get them and put them in your log and write down what you did with/for those individuals. Write down what tasks you did, in engineering or project management, anything that made more money for the company, anything that met or exceeded expectations. etc etc, you get the drift...
> As another poster mentioned, copy your email &amp; all project files from anything you worked on, keep it confidential of course should you leave...
> 
> One day you will want to update your resume.
> ...


+1

When I was an intern, I stayed an extra 20, 30 min after work to update my logbook (digital of course!!!) It was nice to have the time for some self-reflection and improvement by the end of each day. It did help when I had to update my resume and write a report on my internship experience for a class to graduate.

I'm still searching for an entry level 

and I never had any luck with the construction field.

Work hard and keep reinvent yourself and I'm sure you will do great.

All the best.


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