If you were asked today to move from your nice, comfy apartment, drive across the United States, and live in the deep south of Alabama, what would you say? When this question became a reality in late March to one of our students, he scratched his head like many of you might do. Then he decided to take the plunge and now Tyler Merrill is living life as an intern for Sodexo in Troy Alabama. Aside from the scathing hot humidity and the occasional down pour of rain, his internship has opened his eyes to the realities of facilities management in the real world.
A similar story has come true for several BYU students interning with Sodexo a Facility Management company this summer. John Mills, Eric Lima, PJ Taylor, Seth Bohne, and JD Shepherd are all fulfilling part of their FPM curriculum and gaining world class experience doing internships with Sodexo.
Tyler has been assigned many projects working as the intern to the operations and maintenance manager of Troy University. Such projects have included updating the tool inventory, reprogramming an automated fueling control system for campus vehicles, creating a recycling program, and installing electric metering systems for individual buildings to analyze lighting retrofit savings. He has also been heavily involved in the projects department managing the renovation of a residential home into a university rental. He has been responsible for coordinating work with various subcontractors, creating and managing a schedule, and most importantly managing a budget of $30,000. As an intern, that is a lot of responsibility.
The internships are busy and the learning is plentiful. Internships are a great opportunity for students to live life as a facility manager. They feel more prepared to jump into careers upon graduation having had these experiences. So the next time an offer comes to go somewhere far from what is known, take the challenge. You will be happy you did!
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