Dayton Engineer

By Mary Harbach

Being a co-op student pays off!

When asked if Gruensfelder believes that cooperative education is an advantage for an engineering student, he states, “I truly believe everyone should co-op. It allows you to see what you are getting into after school as well as helps you learn and know what to prepare for in the classroom.” Joe also says that he saw an increase in his GPA and believes that it is a direct correlation to his co-op experience. 

Gruensfelder started working with Messer in the spring of his sophomore year after he had completed three study terms. During his five work terms he did field work, quality control, estimating, reviewing bid proposals, surveying, and construction management. He feels that his co-op experience helped in deciding his career goals of civil engineering field work.

Reflecting on the added advantage of staying with the same co-op company, “I came into my first work term knowing very little and as soon as I started understanding things and how they worked, the term was over. However, in my second work term I feel I made a greater contribution to the company because I knew more. Also, I had already developed a relationship with the contractors and this allowed me to communicate easily and move the project along faster,” says Gruensfelder.

Congratulations Joe! Your job dedication has paid off with a promising future at Messer Construction.

^{Mary Harbach, Cooperative Education Coordinator, April 15, 2016}