I couldn’t be happier with the experience I’ve had during my time at Carpenter Marty Transportation. With this being my first internship, I didn’t really know what to expect when I started. From the very first day I have had nothing but positive experiences. Everyone here is super welcoming and supportive, and I felt like a valued member of the company from day one.

When I started, I was completely clueless as to how project development worked in a real-world setting. Regardless, everyone was patient with me and helped me learn the ropes quickly. I never hesitated to ask questions because of how willing people were to offer help. There were many instances where people from other groups would check to see how I was doing. I got the feeling that everyone wanted me to do well and learn as much as I could, which made the work a lot less stressful.

The best part about the internship is how I got to experience working with every group in the company. I don’t know what area of civil engineering I want to pursue, but working here has helped narrow it down. I spent at least two weeks with every group to get an idea of what each group does and to see how all the groups work together on projects. What I appreciated most was what Shane told me when I first started; he said that the goal of this internship was for me to figure out what specific areas I liked, but more importantly to figure out what areas I don’t like. While I did narrow my interests down a bit, it is still going to be a tough decision for me because I enjoyed working with every group this summer.

One thing I really liked about this internship was that the work I did felt important. I know people who had internships with other companies and were just given busy work the whole time. That wasn’t the case here at Carpenter Marty. Since my first day here, my supervisors assigned me to work on the Stage 1 design of a road project we are currently handling. While it wasn’t the most difficult task ever, it was nice to know I was helping to complete the project. This has been the case for every group; even with my limited experience, they have trusted me to do meaningful work which in turn has taught me a great deal about the industry.

In addition to learning what each group does, the great part about getting to work with all the different groups is the connections that I created with my coworkers. I have had the opportunity to interact with almost everyone in the office, whether that was through work or outside of the office. Carpenter Marty creates a super friendly environment and gives plenty of opportunities for team bonding. The open office promotes easy collaboration which makes the workflow smoother and more enjoyable. Every two months we have Thumbs-up Thursday where the whole company gets together for a fun, competitive team bonding event. Also, I look forward to the Skyline lunch trip a group of us take every Thursday. In just three months, I have formed meaningful friendships that I believe will endure even after my time here comes to an end.

Overall, my experience here has been very rewarding. I look forward to coming into the office every day. I have gotten a lot of practical, real-world experience that I couldn’t get sitting in a classroom. While I don’t have experience working at other engineering companies, I couldn’t imagine a better company to work for. I truly feel that my time at Carpenter Marty Transportation will be beneficial to my future career. I really appreciate the opportunity I have been given here.

Aidan Parsons

Clemson University

Class of 2024