Cultivating new talent is a central goal at RTM Engineering Consultants. We know that our dynamic, knowledgeable team is our most important asset. Our employees embody RTM’s core values and deliver superior work to our clients.
Every summer, RTM hosts an internship program to give bright undergraduate and graduate engineering students hands-on experience before they enter the workforce. Interns aren’t relegated to filing or fetching coffee all summer; they become an integral part of the RTM team, actively working on projects and learning from mentors. Nearly all former interns have gone on to join RTM’s full-time staff after graduation.
We spoke with two of this summer’s interns, who worked out of RTM’s Kansas City office, to gain insight into their experiences. Matt Troyer and Josh Fink are both pursuing bachelor’s degrees in architectural engineering at Kansas State University.
Troyer described the supportive environment at RTM, which he said helped his initial transition as a new employee.
“Everyone around the office is super helpful and welcoming to any kind of question I have,” he said. “Throughout the first week of my internship, I could tell that everyone around the office went out of their way to make conversation with me to get to know who I was and make me feel comfortable from the start. I also had a mentor, so I always knew who to go to first for help.”
Fink said the “work hard, play hard” culture in the RTM office offered wide-ranging opportunities for interns to collaborate and socialize with colleagues.
“The RTM internship is as diversified as they come,” he said. “It’s a summer full of designing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems in commercial applications, as well as networking with general contractors, product manufacturers, and architects. It’s also a social opportunity that allows an intern to connect with other engineers in the firm while playing beach volleyball, enjoying happy hours, pool parties, and golf outings.”
Troyer and Fink noted that from their first day, they were treated as essential team members. They were immersed in diverse projects, working closely with other team members, developing specific skills, and gaining a comprehensive understanding of how a firm operates.
“I had the opportunity to be a part of the process by working on real projects,” said Troyer. “After talking to a few of my friends, I am thankful I wasn’t stuck doing busy work, printing papers for hours, or cleaning. The work I did was real and meaningful work, beneficial to the office, and made me feel valued.”
Both Troyer and Fink are returning to Kansas State University for the fall semester, and are scheduled to graduate, respectively, in December 2019 and May 2020. They said they will carry valuable skills and experiences from their internships with them as they continue their studies.
“I could go on and on about the positive experiences I have had here, but I believe the most beneficial is just the real-world experience of being a part of an engineering firm, day in and day out,” said Fink. “I have learned a million more things than school could teach me. From diving into Revit and AutoCAD, face-to-face conversations, and ‘Lunch and Learns,’ I can’t begin to explain the amount of knowledge I’ve been able to take home with me.”
Learn more about the culture, core values, and customer experience at RTM.
