A Day in My Life as a Project Engineer: Monday, February 10th, 2025

This post is all about a day in my life as a project engineer for a general contractor.

A day in the life of a project engineer is never the same, and February 10th, 2025, was especially exciting—steel installation officially began on my project! Since this was a major milestone, I thought it would be the perfect day to document and share what my job looks like.

I’m doing a full week of these posts in honor of Women in Construction Week, giving an inside look at what it’s like to work in this industry as a female project engineer. Some days are packed with office work, others are spent entirely in the field, and most—like today—are a mix of both. Let’s dive in!

Morning

7:30 AM – Arriving at Work

I got to work at 7:30 AM and started my day by warming up my meal prep breakfast bowl. While eating, I caught up on emails and planned out my tasks for the day. My two biggest priorities were reviewing the Door Hardware Product Data Submittal and attending a pre-start meeting for a new subcontractor.

8:00 AM – Pre-Start Meeting

This was a safety meeting for a new subcontractor joining our project. We reviewed our jobsite safety rules, regulations, and plans for any high-risk activities they’d be performing. These meetings ensure that every team working on-site understands our expectations before starting work.

8:30 AM – Reviewing a Wiring Devices Submittal

I planned to start reviewing the Door Hardware submittal, but instead, another project engineer asked me to review a different one first—the Wiring Devices Product Data Submittal. This particular submittal was focused on receptacles (aka electrical outlet plugs).

Since I hadn’t reviewed this type of submittal before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it ended up being straightforward. The subcontractor had organized the submission in the same order as the specifications, which made my job much easier.

9:15 AM – Site Walk: Steel Delivery & Safety Issues

I had hoped to finish the Wiring Devices review before heading to the field, but that didn’t happen. Instead, a group of us went outside to observe the steel delivery process. While they weren’t placing steel yet, they were unloading trucks, which presented some safety challenges.

Our jobsite is tight, meaning space is limited for unloading and storing materials. We noticed several issues with the steel crew’s approach, so we had to temporarily stop them, gather everyone, and discuss safer ways to proceed. This was a new experience for me—I hadn’t been involved in an impromptu safety intervention like this before.

10:15 AM – Back in the Office: Finishing the Submittal Review

After returning to the office, I wrapped up my Wiring Devices submittal review and submitted it. Then, I finally started figuring out how to tackle the Door Hardware submittal.

To make the review process easier, I had three Bluebeam windows open—one with the submittal, another with the door hardware specifications, and a third with the door schedule. Thankfully, I have three screens, so I could view everything side by side.

This submittal covered everything that goes on a door except the door and frame—handles, closers, kickplates, etc. It took me most of this time just to figure out where to start since I hadn’t reviewed this type before.

Lunch

11:45 AM

I don’t really take a traditional lunch break. Usually, I just eat at my desk while watching something on my phone for about 15 minutes.

On this day, I had a meal-prepped lasagna bowl from a TikTok recipe—and it was actually so good!

Afternoon

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM – Continuing the Door Hardware Review

I kept working through the Door Hardware submittal while responding to emails as needed.

12:30 PM – 1:00 PM – BIM Coordination Call & an Unexpected RFI

We have a BIM Coordination call every week to discuss clashes (conflicts in design). This meeting is in addition to another hour-long coordination meeting on Wednesdays.

During this call, I got a phone call from our specialties subcontractor about a discrepancy in the video display sizes for one of our corridors. The pre-construction RFI had one size, but the drawings showed another. I called a friend who had worked on this during bidding, but neither of us had a clear answer. So, I submitted an RFI (Request for Information) to get clarification.

To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to the BIM call because I was focused on this issue—but that was okay since our role as the general contractor in these meetings is minimal.

1:00 PM – 1:30 PM – Writing the RFI & Another Site Walk

I started drafting the RFI while continuing the Door Hardware submittal, but then my boss’s boss pulled me aside for a site walk. As always, my first thought was, Am I in trouble? (Spoiler: I wasn’t.)

1:30 PM – 2:45 PM – Learning from the Field

This site walk ended up being one of the most valuable moments of my day. My boss’s boss pulled me aside and asked, “How much time are you spending on-site each day?”

I knew the right answer wasn’t what I had been doing, so I admitted, “Not enough.” That’s when he told me something that really stuck with me: There is always something to watch and learn on-site.

He wanted me to see firsthand what was happening outside of the office, so we went on a walk with our concrete foreman, who has decades of experience. He pointed out things that I never would’ve noticed on my own—small details that might seem insignificant but actually play a huge role in how smoothly the project runs.

We started at the steel unloading area, where things were still not going as smoothly as they should have been. Since our jobsite is tight, space is limited, and the crew was struggling to find a safe and efficient way to offload materials. We stood there for about 15 to 20 minutes, observing their process. It was clear they felt a little pressured with us watching, but sometimes, having extra eyes on-site forces better accountability.

From there, we walked over to the water tap installation. This was a completely new experience for me. I had seen plans for this work but never actually watched the process unfold. Essentially, this is where the crew was installing a pipe that would allow us to connect to the metro water line. Seeing how the connection was made and understanding how the water would be routed to the building gave me a much clearer picture of the infrastructure side of the project.

Then, we walked over to where a pump truck was being cleaned out. I had never thought about this before, but obviously, a concrete pump truck can’t just be left with hardened concrete inside its pipes. Watching the crew flush out the system and clean up was surprisingly interesting—it gave me a better appreciation for the logistics involved in something as simple as pouring concrete.

The entire walk was an eye-opening experience. I realized that I had been staying in my comfort zone too much—focusing on paperwork and submittals rather than getting out in the field and learning from the people actually building the project. My boss’s boss made it clear that if I want to be a great project engineer, I need to make site time a daily priority—not just something I fit in when I have extra time.

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM – Wrapping Up the Day

Back in the office, I finished submitting the RFI and kept working on the Door Hardware submittal—which, unfortunately, I still didn’t finish. I realized I was being too thorough, so I set a hard deadline to complete it the next day.

I also caught up on emails and spent some time chatting with coworkers. Since most of the older team members had already left for the day, the office was a little more relaxed.

Oh, and they finally set the first piece of steel—I got to watch it happen live on the site camera in our office!

Conclusion

This was one of those days that reminded me why I love working in construction. I got to witness a major project milestone, gain field experience, and receive valuable advice from leadership. I also learned that I need to be more intentional about spending time on-site—something I plan to work on moving forward.

This is just Day 1 of my Day in the Life series, where I’m sharing a real, unfiltered look at my job as a project engineer. This is in honor of Women In Construction Week coming up in March! Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes insights into what it’s really like working in construction!