(From left) Lemberg President Kyle Witte, Marketing Director Eichelle Thompson, and Intern Elijah Grow and Assistant Project Manager Mason Eckhardt
Electrical construction careers don’t always follow a straight line. Some people start in the field, some start behind a desk, and some land somewhere they didn’t originally plan on.
Mason Eckhardt joined Lemberg Electric as an intern while studying to become a design engineer. Two internships later, he graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) this year and stepped into a full-time role as an assistant project manager on Lemberg’s construction team.
Below, Mason shares how he found his way from engineering design to electrical contracting, what surprised him about the industry, and what’s kept him at Lemberg since his internship days.
A principal at my grade school encouraged me toward engineering because it's a good, stable field, and I was good at math and showed interest in it. In high school, I joined Project Lead The Way, a STEM-focused program. Through that class, I met older students who talked about how the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) was an excellent school, and that's where I ended up going. Electrical work runs in my family, too. My dad is an overhead lineman, and so is my older brother.
I started college thinking I’d become an architectural engineer, and I landed an internship as a mechanical design engineer. The company was great, but I wasn’t completely fulfilled by the experience.
During my junior year, a professor invited me to join a construction bidding competition alongside students studying electrical engineering and project management. During the competition, you put together a bid for a real job and see how close you can get to the actual numbers. That experience is what pulled me toward contracting instead of design.
I ended up interning with Lemberg, starting in the winter of my Junior year. By the end of that summer, I knew contracting, not design, was the right fit for me.
It really lets you get your feet wet in how projects go. My biggest struggle in college was having all this background knowledge but no real experience, and the internship closed that gap. You get to apply what you learned in school to actual projects.
College is important, and you learn a lot there, but being on the job for even a week can teach you just as much, because how your company does things day to day is really what matters most.
Milwaukee School of Engineering, custom Terrace sign designed by Lemberg Signs.
Right now, I spend more of my time behind a desk, but that’s one of the cool things about this career: there are so many different paths you can take. You can be out in the field working hands-on, or move into a more office- or project-management role.
I’m still doing a lot of what I did as an intern, just turned up a notch. I work on things like submittals and estimates, but now I have more experience and a better understanding of how everything comes together. I still get out to job sites, too, but now it’s more from a project management perspective rather than doing the hands-on field work I did before.
The GE remodel has probably been my favorite project. It’s still an ongoing project, and there are a lot of niche fixtures, and several different companies have their hands in it, which makes it a bit of a challenge with communication and such. I’ve learned a lot from watching how those pieces come together, and even from some of the mistakes that have happened along the way.
Getting every company’s blueprints to line up perfectly is never easy in construction. That project in particular has taught me a lot about the importance of coordination and communication between teams.
Time management was the biggest thing I learned in college. In contracting, it’s more about organization: setting yourself up to get your part of a project done, and done right, in the fastest amount of time possible.
Project managers carry a lot on their plates, so it’s important to cover your bases. That way, if a problem comes up, you can point to your work and know your part was handled correctly.
The office feels like a big family. That might sound cliche, but it’s true. People here collaborate, and you build work relationships that carry outside the office, too. That’s honestly one of the biggest reasons I decided to stay.
A lot of the trades workforce is retiring, and the next generation isn’t filling those roles fast enough, so there’s going to be plenty of opportunity for people willing to get into the field.
Personally, I’m looking forward to eventually leading my own projects and having a team to work with. Getting to work alongside a group of people and getting a job done is one of my favorite parts of this industry.
Absolutely go for it. There’s plenty of work to do and plenty of jobs to fill; they want you. Whether you like working closely with people or would rather have your own tasks and be on your way, there’s a place for almost anyone in this industry.
Teamwork, community, and hustle.
You have to stay organized and stay ahead of the job, but at the end of the day, it’s the people and the sense of community that make it worth it.
Mason’s story is a great example of how an internship can be more than getting real-world experience. It can be a chance to take that first step toward a stable and fulfilling career, maybe even one you hadn’t originally planned on.
At Lemberg Electric, we’re proud to give young professionals opportunities to learn from experienced team members, explore different career paths and find where they fit.
Ready to see where your path could take you? Explore careers at Lemberg Electric!
Did an internship or early job change the direction of your career? We’d love to hear your story in the comments!
Friendly and almost family-like. I've been doing some research into Lemberg's history while helping with content surrounding the company's 100-year anniversary, so I've gotten to see how generations of people have been part of the Lemberg story. I've felt that same sense of connection while working here. Whether I'm in the office or visiting a jobsite, people have been friendly and willing to help me learn.
We’ve been talking about the possibility of extending my internship into the fall semester, which I’d really like to do. It would give me the opportunity to keep building on everything I’ve learned over the last few months while I finish my senior year.
After graduation, I’d love to find a position in marketing, especially digital marketing or social media. This internship has given me a lot more insight into the parts of marketing I enjoy and where I might want to take my career, and I’m excited to see what comes next for me.
Enlightening, communication, and teamwork.
I've learned a lot, not only about marketing but also about working with people, being part of a team, and an entire industry I really didn't know much about before I started.
At Lemberg Electric, careers aren't limited to one path.
From apprentices beginning their careers in the electrical trade to project managers building careers in construction, there are opportunities for people with different backgrounds, interests and skill sets to find their place in the industry.
Lemberg is proud to invest in the next generation of the workforce by creating opportunities for young people to learn, gain hands-on experience and explore where their skills can take them.
Internships give students like Eli the opportunity to experience those careers firsthand while building communication, teamwork and other professional skills that aren’t always taught in the classroom.