High School Student
Interns Take on the Building Trades
Organized Labor
August 2009
Jennifer Wu
My family has always been in the construction trades doing small projects, mainly residential. They took me to some job sites when I was younger. This is a lot different, seeing a big site and all the work and organization that goes into it. It's really fascinating to me. The first couple days I stayed inside with a project manager and saw how much paperwork it takes. It gets a little boring, but then I got to go out on the jobsite. I learned about safety hazards and the need to wear a hard hat and other safety gear. I followed a carpenter one day and then a plumber another day. I was supposed to follow the rebar people, but they were already done. Now I'm at the office for the elevator makers. It was so mentally and physically exhausting following all the workers that I think I would rather do project management than labor. This was the first job I’ve worked at, and it was so exciting to see the process and watch the building shape up.