Development of practical and technical skills during industrial training in electrical engineering

When I began my internship at JKR Shah Alam, I was overwhelmed and confused. When I was studying Electric Power as an engineering student at UiTM Permatang Pauh, I initially believed that I would be working as a chargeman or technician, and that most of my work would be with wiring and installation of systems. But after entering the professional realm, I have come to understand that engineering is much more than technical work, it is problem­solving, safety and long-term effects.
My experience as an intern taught me that my studies were not only designed to fit me into a particular technical position but rather prepare me with the tools and the mind to be a balanced engineer. This change in perception helped me to understand that my courses were preparing me with the basis of critical thinking, safety management as well as accountability in every sense of engineering projects.
The most enlightening experience that I had as an intern was with distribution board (DB) plans. My initial efforts were full of mistakes: the cable sizes were not properly selected, the breakers were not appropriately located, and Maximum Demand (MD) was not calculated correctly. Whenever I turned in my work, my seniors did not simply indicate my errors, they gave me reasons as to why precision is important. I strongly remember this moment when a wrongly calculated MD value was indicated and my senior shared the reason as to how the slightest error can result in overloading, nuisance tripping or a case of worse outcome, and safety hazards. This was when I understood that engineering is all about never giving up: it is not about trying to get something right the first time but rather practicing the skills of letting a problem be revealed and corrected in its infancy before it gets out of control.
Besides the technical capabilities, I have been introduced to the industry-standard certifications such as ETABS, AutoCAD and BIM. It was informative to see how these tools were applied on the field. To give an example, I observed the role of AutoCAD in assisting the engineers to perfect the DB plans, considering real world constraints such as cable routing, space restrictions amongst others. The demonstrations of these tools helped me learn the reason why they are required in the process of making any project efficient, accurate, and high quality. This inspired me to strive towards undertaking certifications in these fields so I can enhance my career opportunities while further expanding my engineering knowledge and expertise.