A Summer Intern at Hierro Peru

Engineering is really an applied science. So what you learn in school is really the start of what you need to know to do your job.

While I loved school, I knew that I wanted to get some field work under my belt as soon as possible. To that end I applied to many mining companies for summer jobs after my freshman year.

Not too many companies are eager to take on a kid with no real experience, so I did not get any job offers.

One of the other students, however, (Cesar Moreno) had a father who worked at Hierro Peru (formerly Marcona Mining Company, now Shougang Hierro Peru) in Marcona, Peru. He said that he would be able to get me a job as a summer intern working in that iron mine:

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I was just crazy enough to agree to this job.

When I told my father that I wanted to work the summer in Peru, where I would work six days a week and get paid next to nothing, and completely deplete my college fund, he asked me only one question: "Do you think this is a good idea?" I said yes, and then I was off.

I lived in the town of San Juan:


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with the family of my friend, in their house:

From UW Madison Mining Engineer

Though "with" them is sort of debatable. It turned out that his father (Humberto Moreno) had cancer, and had to get treatment in Lima. As Lima was about 500 km away, with no regular air traffic, I spent most of the summer alone - well, alone with a maid and a yard boy. It was a strange thing for a kid from Appleton.

But I did work six days a week, and was paid a dollar a day. Here I am on one of the P&H shovels:

From UW Madison Mining Engineer

You can tell that HS&E weren't really too high on the Hierro Peru priority lists.

I did have a hard hat, though.