Platoon Bejer

BS Civil Engineering
Technological Institute of the Philippines - Manila
Second Semester SY 2021-2022

Self-Assessment and Improvements (Week 3: February 14 – February 19)

As a Civil Engineering student specializing in Construction Engineering and Management, I prefer to

work in a Construction Management firm for my On-the-Job Training. Although my training will be limited due
to the virtual setup, I still decided to train under a company to gain experience on how Civil Engineers and
Construction Managers actually perform their job. Upon talking with the head of the company I selected for
my OJT, I realized I have to be more prepared. The knowledge I gained from school is not enough; I have to
strive to gain more knowledge and skills in my field.

First, I have to know how to perform construction scheduling from scratch. Although scheduling
methods such as the Program Evaluation and Review Technique are taught in school, the process of how
schedules are derived is left out. In school, the activities and their durations are already given. But, in an
actual project, it is my duty to identify and organize them. Moreover, I have to learn how to use the programs
and software that Construction Engineers and Managers use to perform this task. Second, a construction
project requires the identification of the materials needed for the project and their accompanying costs. In the
academe, the cost and material estimation start with identified and simplified parts of a project. For instance,
the student will be asked to estimate the amount of concrete and the cost of a section of a concrete hollow
block wall, given the dimensions and costs of each material needed. In an actual project, there are no given
parameters and I cannot choose only what I want to estimate; I have to start from scratch. I have to determine
every material the project needs and how much do these materials cost before I can start with the estimation.
Lastly, a construction project also requires safe working conditions. Although there are designated employees
for the scheduling, estimation, and safety of a project, the Construction Engineer or Manager still has to be
knowledgeable on these aspects. As in charge of the management and decision-making in the construction
process, I have to know how every aspect of the process. Having a background in scheduling, estimation,
and safety can help with my management and decision-making skills. Meaning, I know how my decisions
and management techniques will affect the different aspects of the construction, allowing me to create more
informed and appropriate decisions.

To be a more effective Construction Engineer, knowing that the actual construction process is different from
what is taught in the academe, I enrolled in numerous training and workshops. I took both construction project
estimation using AutoCAD and using Mantrix Program. Moreover, I am also studying Planswift. With that, I
can perform my estimation tasks in my On-the-Job training more effectively. They will also help me be more
diverse with which software or program to use. I also took Loss Control Management Training and Workshop,
which is a Safety Officer 3 specialization training. I am currently a Qualified Safety Officer 2, and completing
the 48-hour specialization training will allow me to be a Qualified Safety Officer 3. It will also help me with my
OJT as I can perform a Job Hazard, Risk Assessment, Loss Management, and other safety-related activities
to prevent additional costs and delay to the project. Lastly, I enrolled in construction scheduling training using
Mantrix Program and Primavera Workshop scheduled on the last week of February. I am taking as much
training I can get to prepare me to perform my work correctly. Being an undergraduate, I lack experience
involving actual construction projects. Therefore, having training improves the knowledge and skills I can
offer for the company and allows me to perform my work effectively.