Bolton & Menk

This summer (2020) I was a Construction Inspector on a huge Sleepy Eye Street & Utility Job.

This was the type of job I was yearning for all along and I am blessed to be able to have found it. Working for Bolton & Menk as a Construction Inspector, you get to deal with all aspects of the construction phase, which is awesome. Whether it’s making calls to a geotechnical Civil Engineering firm such as AET to lineup a concrete test or coordinating a walkthrough with a city’s public works director, you get to deal with all aspects of Civil Engineering. As a first year Construction Inspector (and intern) I did not get to make these phone calls, which was a good thing.

Everyone wants to start out at the top of the mountain but fails to lower their eyes to see the intense climb it takes to get there. I’m comparing this to obtaining a GED from high school, then getting a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, taking the FE exam your senior year of college, then taking your PE exam after four years of field experience. The process to becoming a professional “Civil Engineer” is lengthy, but in my eyes, worth every second of it.

I started out in the field learning the basics of how to conduct myself as a Construction Inspector – proper etiquette for the field some would say. This includes how to approach contractors, learning your site/materials being used THOROUGHLY, all to be able to make appropriate field decisions for the time and place.