Brendan Boyce

Job Shadow
Presentation
Paul Van Horn - Exelon Power
Plant
April 28th, 2019
 Information

● Paul Van Horn works as the Senior Vendor Manager, I

wanted to go because I’m interested in going into the
Power Plant trade
● His job is to manage the plant by fixing problems that
arise hands on, along with doing paperwork and computer
work in order to keep the plant running smoothly
● I was able to find Mr. Van Horn since it is my girlfriends
dad
The Day
● Mr. Van Horn would go back and forth around the power plant
and his office throughout the day in order to help supervise
other jobs, help fix any problems that arise within the machinery,
and work on lots of paperwork.
● As Senior Vender Manager, Mr. Van Horn oversees any and all
vendors that come in and do any work within the plant. He also
pays them as he does all of the bills for the company.
● Most of the day consisted of paperwork along with work on his
computer, but there was a good mix of hands on work on the
power plant floor.
Interactions
● Throughout the day, I followed Mr.s Van Horn as he went
around the plant and fixing whatever while explaining to me
what he was doing in a way that I could understand
● The people he worked with did not talk to me much, many just
introduced themselves to me and did not say much else.
● Mr. Van Horn would regularly talk to his colleagues to figure out
problems and to help supervise, interacting with them a lot
● I feel as though this type of interaction within the workplace
would be good for me, as I enjoy talking and collaborating with
others
Work Environment

● While on my job shadow, Mr. Van Horn’s personal office

was not that big, and not many of his colleagues were
either. It was enough to get work done but not a big office
● We also spent a lot of time within the plant itself, which
has big machines and boilers constantly running in order
to produce electricity. There was a lot of machines and
technology that I’ve never seen before.
● I could see myself working here, even though he does
spend a lot of his time in his office. I like to be able to walk
around and supervise while being hands on with
everything.
Insights

● Mr. Van Horn told me information about how one would

generally progress through the ranks within a power
plant, and how you need to make a few sacrifices and
work when you don’t want to in order to get a promotion.
● He also told me that there is a lot of information to
memorize perfectly or else you could easily mess
something up very bad, as power plant is one of the more
educated and advanced trades
Follow Up

● After the work day ended, we went and got some late
lunch at Chick-fil-A. It was a good end to a long day.
● I have obviously stayed in contact with Mr. Van Horn and I
have continued talking to him about going into the power
plant trade and even about ways to have a better chance
of getting accepted into Williamson Trade School.
● Mr. Van Horn is a great connection to have as he could
help me get a job at the plant he works at, and could even
help get me jobs elsewhere and even into Williamson as
he is an alumni.