At RTM Engineering Consultants, we pride ourselves on hiring the best people for our team. We cultivate talent from top universities, offering up-and-coming engineers the ongoing education, mentorship, and hands-on experience they need to thrive in the industry.
Each summer, RTM hosts a robust internship program, integrating undergraduate and graduate students into our offices across the country. Interns take an active role in the RTM team, honing their practical skills, assisting with client projects, and communicating with colleagues and vendors. Most students who have completed the internship program have joined RTM’s full-time staff after graduation.
We asked several of this summer’s interns, who worked out of our Chicago, Milwaukee and Schaumburg offices, what was most memorable about their experiences working at RTM. All emphasized how much they learned from RTM’s supportive environment, diverse workload, and knowledgeable team.
“My internship at RTM was great,” said Dejan Djuric, an electrical engineering major at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “There is a real group collaborative feel, and everyone is open to working together to accomplish projects. I have learned a lot working here. I gained experience working with different software, as well as going to actual job sites.”
Gurman Saggu, who is pursuing a master’s degree in architectural engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, said her internship helped supplement what she has learned through school coursework.
“I have learned a lot about process and real-world problems that were not either covered in the academic program or are difficult to include,” said Saggu. “Site visits helped me to enhance my practical knowledge, and I learned how to implement the on-site work in the drawings. I also got to assist on various projects with lighting and power design.”
Samuel Blomberg, who is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, was impressed by the level of autonomy he had during his internship.
“One positive surprise about the internship was the amount of knowledge I received about the actual design process in HVAC,” said Blomberg. “I was expecting this internship to be largely based on supervisors telling me to do things, and me completing them without question. But instead, I really felt like I was getting valuable experience on how to design things myself, which will be way more beneficial to me if this is the field I decide to go into in the future.”
Charlie Herbert, a mechanical engineering major at the University of Iowa, noted that he was able to make a difference in the day-to-day operations at RTM.
“The most beneficial experience for me was being able to step into a role and see the impact I could make through my work,” said Herbert. “I loved taking the weight off of the studios by working hard and getting tasks and projects done for coworkers. I got a great feel for how a productive and talented team operates in a professional setting.”
Mike Fitzpatrick, who is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Iowa, said he gained a deeper understanding of projects through a combination of project work and site visits.
“My experience was positive and valuable because of how much real work I was involved with, plus I got to go out into the field and gain experience out of the office,” said Fitzpatrick. “Going out on surveys and punch-lists and seeing the construction jobs in progress was very beneficial. I could see the beginning, middle, and end of projects, which helped me to visualize and draft the project drawings and ensure precision.”
Learn more about RTM’s mission, culture and values.
