In this blog post, I’ll explore how the experience I gained through my construction site internship changed my perspective on my career path, as well as the sense of fulfillment, challenges, and values I encountered on the job.

My First Internship at a Construction Site

This semester, I’m taking a course offered by my undergraduate program called “Practical Application of Engineering Knowledge.” To complete this course, I had to complete a roughly one-month internship at a construction site arranged through a partnership between my college and a construction company during the summer break. I ended up doing my three-week internship at the construction site of the Gui-ui Water Treatment Center, located in Gui-ui-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
At the time, construction was underway to demolish part of the existing Gui-ui Water Treatment Center and build a new facility equipped with an advanced water treatment process. Once completed, this project would lay the groundwork for a stable supply of even cleaner tap water.
I expected this internship to help me decide on my future career path. Among various options, I had vaguely prioritized pursuing graduate school, but I also thought it would be meaningful to experience firsthand what it would be like to work at an actual construction company. I expected that experiencing the site firsthand would broaden my direct and indirect understanding of the construction industry, and that this experience would serve as a benchmark for deciding my career path, whichever direction I chose.

Unexpected Lessons Learned on Site

As one might expect, there weren’t many tasks an undergraduate student lacking professional expertise could handle on site. There were limits to how well I could naturally integrate into the on-site organization, collaborate closely with stakeholders, and perform practical work. Since I was well aware of this reality, I didn’t have high expectations for gaining hands-on work experience from the start.
However, the countless experiences I encountered on-site were the kind that would be difficult to come by unless I were to formally join a construction company. On the subway ride back to Sillim-dong after work, I would reflect on the day’s events one by one and ponder how these experiences might influence my future career choices. Then one day, it suddenly occurred to me to reflect once again on why I had chosen the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Why I Chose Civil and Environmental Engineering

My father, who started working immediately after graduating from a technical high school and had spent many years on-site at a petrochemical company, always emphasized the importance of education. Perhaps this was because he still harbored some regret about not having been able to continue his studies.
However, when I was preparing for college entrance exams and told my parents I intended to major in civil engineering or construction, they were quite taken aback. It was understandable that they were surprised, given that I was about to enter college and had chosen a field that seemed far removed from academic study. Not only my parents, but also my guidance counselor and high school friends were puzzled. To them, I was a student who had shown great interest in and dedication to studying life sciences.
The questions I heard most often back then were, “What about all the life science you’ve studied so far? Why are you choosing civil engineering?” and “Why would you choose a job that involves physical labor?”
To put it simply, the image people around me had of the civil engineering and construction fields at that time was a negative perception of “manual labor.” I, too, was aware that such a social perception existed. Nevertheless, I submitted my application harboring a vague expectation that there must be “something” in this field that was difficult to put into words.
At the time, I didn’t even know myself what that “something that’s hard to put into words” was. However, it was only through this construction site internship that I finally came to understand its meaning, and I’ll explain that story in more detail later in this article.
In any case, I passed the interview and was admitted to the Department of Construction and Environmental Engineering. While I was overjoyed at being accepted, it’s also true that a part of me felt uneasy due to society’s negative view of construction sites.

Perspectives on Construction Sites

The term “nogada” carries a negative connotation, as if it were a derogatory term for construction workers.
The common expression, “If you don’t have money, go do ‘noga-da’,” reveals a social perception that views construction labor as a last resort for making money.
Furthermore, just before freshmen in the Department of Construction and Environmental Engineering set off for their orientation, full of anticipation, it’s not uncommon to see students from other departments teasing them by shouting “noga-da” at the top of their lungs. Of course, this is merely a playful event intended to foster unity among departments and liven up the atmosphere, but from that moment on, freshmen naturally internalize the negative image associated with the term. They even make self-deprecating jokes about themselves, saying, “Yeah, we’re just shovel-wielding workers.”

The on-site workers saw things differently

So, how do the people actually working on construction sites view their own jobs?
This societal perception was widespread even among the employees working on-site. The first thing most of the employees I met early in my internship said to me was, “Why did a student who did so well in school come to a construction site like this?”
When I explained that I had come to experience a construction site firsthand while considering my career path, almost everyone advised me that it would be better to become a civil servant or go to graduate school. This reaction wasn’t limited to employees of the general contractor. Employees of subcontractors carrying out work under contract with the general contractor felt the same way, and even members of the supervision team—who manage whether the construction is proceeding according to blueprints and standards—expressed similar opinions.
Most people involved in the project openly referred to their workplace as a “construction site” and actually tried to dissuade me from entering their world. The site I had initially imagined was a place where, even if the physical labor was tough, there was definitely something worthwhile to gain. However, as I listened to their stories, it began to feel like the reality was quite different from what I had expected.

The True Sense of Pride I Discovered in One-on-One Conversations

But there was something interesting. While everyone focused solely on the hardships of working on-site during group discussions, when I spoke with them one-on-one, I heard a completely different story.
One employee mentioned the opportunity to gain international experience by being dispatched to overseas construction sites and working in various countries. Another explained that they could choose the path that best suited their aptitude—either deepening their expertise within the company or broadening their capabilities by gaining experience in diverse roles.
Above all, the most memorable comment was that they felt a great sense of pride every time they saw the construction project they were working on gradually taking shape.
At that very moment, I finally understood clearly what that “something indescribable” was—the vague expectation I’d had when I chose the civil engineering and construction field back in high school.
The fact that the projects I contributed to provided tangible benefits to members of society—that was precisely what had drawn me to this field.
I believed that simply imagining people using the roads and facilities I helped build to reach their destinations faster and more safely, access clean water, and live in a more pleasant environment would be rewarding enough.
Looking back now, it was a very clear reason, but it’s almost surprising that I couldn’t easily articulate that thought to myself at the time.
Although it was only a short three-week internship, simply watching the construction site transform day by day into a form that closely resembled the blueprints—amidst the daily pouring of concrete, the constant comings and goings of dump trucks loaded with soil, and the sounds of hammers and machinery filling the air—was deeply rewarding.
I couldn’t help but think that if I were to join as a full-time employee and be part of the entire process—from groundbreaking to completion—the sense of accomplishment would be indescribable.

Why did we only talk about the tough stuff when we were together?

Then why did these positive stories rarely come up when several of us gathered to talk?
Here’s the conclusion I reached after seeing and experiencing the site firsthand.
On construction sites, when work needs to proceed faster than planned, shifts sometimes start as early as 5 or 6 a.m. Conversely, if the day’s work isn’t completed, construction often continues late into the night with the lights on, even after dinner. The pressure of simultaneously meeting the demands of the client, who checks on progress, and headquarters, which manages project performance, is by no means light.
Furthermore, construction sites aren’t always located near one’s home. Depending on the site, workers may not return home for several weeks or even close to a month, and they often find themselves living apart from their families on a recurring basis. While many companies today have improved working conditions and welfare benefits compared to the past, there are still plenty of cases where the nature of the project requires long-term on-site work or assignments in other regions.
People working under such intense work and living conditions often find it difficult to cope with the stress on their own. That’s why they confide in their colleagues about their hardships, and as others share similar experiences, they offer each other comfort. As this process repeats, a sense of community—one in which everyone is moving toward a common goal—naturally forms among those working together on-site. I believe that the culture of sharing difficult realities and encouraging one another is also fostered within this sense of community.
I felt that this is also why everyone—regardless of whether they are employees of the construction company, subcontractors, or members of the supervisory team—refers to themselves as “laborers.” While this expression may sound negative on the surface, on actual job sites, it is used as a form of self-deprecating humor and solidarity shared only among those who endure the same hardships together.
Of course, this does not mean that such expressions should represent the entire construction industry or be viewed positively. On the contrary, society’s perception of the construction sector needs to shift toward greater respect. However, I came to understand that the half-joking phrase I often heard on site—“People like us who do manual labor…”—was not simply a form of self-deprecation, but rather a facet of the site culture that blends the hardships of construction with a sense of pride.

A Community Symbolized by a Single Shovel

The image of a “shovel” has long been featured on the department hoodies of students in the Department of Construction and Environmental Engineering. While it sometimes becomes a target of teasing by students from other departments, ironically, that image also serves as a symbol that fosters a strong sense of belonging and camaraderie among department members.
Just like the term “nogada” used on construction sites, this internship helped me gain a deeper understanding of how the symbol of the shovel carries a different meaning to outsiders than it does to those within the department.

The Biggest Change Brought About by the Field Internship

During the three weeks I spent at the construction site, I was able to see, hear, and feel so much. Living in the on-site dormitory was a meaningful experience, and learning firsthand about the various tasks and operations carried out at a construction site was also invaluable.
However, if I had to name one major achievement above all else, it would be that I gained the confidence to overcome my own preconceptions about the civil engineering and construction fields.
Neither the playful teasing from students in other departments, nor the countless difficulties shared by site staff, nor even my own vague fear that “construction sites are physically demanding places” feel as overwhelming as they once did.
On the contrary, I’ve become convinced that working on a construction site is a career path that, while challenging, offers clear rewards and a deep sense of accomplishment. Underlying that conviction was the pride I witnessed firsthand among the site workers during this internship.
The perspective of an outside observer and the pride felt by those actually working on-site were completely different. I experienced that difference firsthand, and that was the most valuable lesson I gained from this internship.