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Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

  • 1.  Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-07-2017 09:59 AM

    What do you think every Young Graduate Water Engineer should do to become highly successful in his/her career. Is there anything you wished you could have done in your 20's or regret not doing earlier in your career?

    And what's the best advice you would give to a young college graduate who is starting his/her career in the water sector.

    Your experiences and insights will be very valuable to me!

    PS: If you're mentioning a particular course, workshop, training, conference, internship, a particular program for MSc/MS, a particular company to start career with, a particular piece of software etc. then please mention it's name.

    Thank You!



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    Saurabh Singh S.M.ASCE
    Student
    Galgotias College of Engineering & Technology
    Greater Noida
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  • 2.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-08-2017 02:23 PM
    1) If you have an opportunity to get a master's degree right after undergraduate (through, for instance, a research assistantship or teaching assistantship), do it.  
    2) When you get into the workforce (and frankly even while you're in school), do an excellent job with every single task that is given to you, and be as snappy and efficient as you can. 
    3) Say "yes, I would be interested in learning how to...", whatever it is.
    4) Put away your iPhone at work.

    Do these 4 things, and any employer with a good eye for staff development will identify you as an asset and continue to invest in you. Do that consistently for 10 years and the world is your oyster. 

    Good luck!

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    Brandon Billing P.E., M.ASCE
    Brown and Caldwell
    Coeur D Alene ID
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-09-2017 01:50 PM
    I agree with each point EXCEPT get a graduate degree right after college.  It might be right for you, but for many not the best thing.  For me, work experience in foreign countries (Vietnam and Cuba--Navy) helped shape my thinking on what I wanted to study.  And GI Bill helped pay for 2 master's.  Especially turn phone off; you are there to learn in real time. Thanks, Stu Moring, PE, F.ASCE, Dir. Public Works (ret.) 

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    Stuart Moring P.E., F.ASCE
    Dir Of Pub Wrks
    Roswell GA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-09-2017 09:44 AM
    Things I wish I had done about 40 years ago:

    1. Take the EI (or EIT in my time) exam as a senior or as soon as possible after graduation.  This exam is essentially a re-hash of your first 2 years of engineering school.  It is amazing how quickly these concepts are forgotten (or you just get rusty) after graduation.  Don't delay sitting for this exam.  I took the EIT as a senior and had to simply provide a certified transcript from the Registrar to obtain my certificate.

    2. Stay in the profession.  I left engineering for a position with a contractor for 5 years after working in engineering for about 18 months. The time in contracting did not qualify for the experience needed for the PE exam so I basically started my engineering career over at almost 29 years old.

    3. Get on the PE track.  Make sure the work you are doing, and who you are doing it for, qualifies for the 48 months of experience needed to sit for the PE Exam.  Apply for and take this exam as soon as you are eligible.  Take a review or refresher course in preparation for it.

    4. Get a Masters Degree.  I waited 12 years to return to begin my MS pursuit and it took 5 years of night school to do it.  Worth every minute and every penny.  Would have started it sooner except for the contractor work time and then making up for lost time to get the PE. Was helped by my employer's tuition assistance plan.

    5. Most importantly - participate in only HONEST enterprises. I had the misfortune of twice being sold a bill of goods during the interview process only to find out later that those involved were not only being dishonest with me, but were generally dishonest in their business practices. First rule - if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

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    John Pantelis P.E., F.ASCE
    ST PETERSBURG FL
    (727) 577-3497
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-09-2017 09:46 AM
    1. Graduate School (Master of Engineering, Ph.D.) should seriously be considered because of the added technical and theoretical expertise you'll get there.
    2. Start working ASAP. The sooner you get a job in the water industry the sooner you will get the needed experience and all employers seek experienced people to hire.
    3. Never stop learning. Utilize ASCE and/or your company training courses to stay up to date on water related courses.
    4. Gain proficiency in water related software (HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SMS, WMS, others) and become the "local-expert" in your office.
    5. Check your attitude at the door. Be kind and polite to others at work and you'll find work far more pleasurable and you'll leave yourself open to learning from your co-workers. This works every time. I've been doing this for over ten years now with success.

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    Mark Berry BCE, EIT, EI, A.M.ASCE
    Hydraulic Engineer
    Texas Department of Transportation
    Austin TX
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-09-2017 09:46 AM
    1.  Make sure you work toward your PE license - maintain documentation, work for PE's, review the requirements, set up NCEES Record
    2.  Get involved with professional associations which you can attend sessions, meetings, etc. - network and be active
    3.  Get Master degree locally or on-line
    4.  Take every opportunity to do something different - field work (especially if it's a challenge physically or mentally), short term assignments in different offices, presentations, etc.  -  I regret not going for more of these opportunities
    5.  Echoing Brandon BIlling - turn off the phone - be involved with what's happening where you are.

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    David Moughton P.E., D.WRE, M.ASCE
    Senior Project Manager
    Cincinnati OH
    (513) 231-1931
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-09-2017 11:03 AM
    My advice to my junior engineers is:
    1. Be willing to try a wide range of work, as we will seek to provide a variety of work to you, so that you have a chance to find out where you would like to concentrate your efforts in future years.  As you are looking for a job, look for a firm that can provide a wide variety of work for you, as it is highly unlikely that you will know what exactly you want to concentrate on right after graduating.
    2.  As a new engineer, be willing to do your homework outside of the office.  You will be given assignments dealing with things you are not familiar with.  Take some time to read up on it outside of work, so that you have a better understanding of it at the office and can be more productive.
    3.  Make an effort to understand the people that you are working with and how they like to receive updates. Each person is different, but once you understand them a little bit better, you are able to discover the means and methods of communicating best with them.  For example, some may prefer short progress update emails, while others prefer face-to-face contact.  Others may want you to describe the background to them and others just want you to tell them the issue and solution upfront and will only expect the background information if they specifically ask for it.
    4.  I agree with the others, get your PE as soon as possible, which means taking the EIT exam while still in college (the information is still fresh) and taking the PE exam as soon as you can after beginning work, before your life gets taken up with starting a family.
    5.  Take the time to get actively involved in professional organizations - the networks that are formed there are invaluable - many people I know have changed or gotten new jobs based on the contacts they have met through professional organizations.

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    Angela Hintz P.E., M.ASCE
    Senior Environmental Engineer
    Buffalo NY

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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-13-2017 10:44 AM
    Also, make sure you have some good work/life balance.  While it is expected that many times, your client deadlines will require you to work over 40 hours a week, it is my feeling that it shouldn't be a regular thing.  If you are finding that you are working significantly more hours every single week for an extended period of time, then either you are too busy and you need to say something to your supervisors so that they can get you help or you are not working efficiently.  in the latter case, you may need to better manage time and schedule into your days uninterrupted time to complete things without distraction.  Otherwise, continuously working 50+ hours per week will lead to burnout in most cases and I know that I tell my junior engineers to let me know if they feel they are working too much so that I can do something about it before they burn out.  We actually lost one of our best junior engineers that way because they were working so much and they didn't give their supervisor an opportunity to remedy it and then they ended up leaving to go into something else.

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    Angela Hintz P.E., M.ASCE
    Senior Environmental Engineer
    Buffalo NY
    716-667-6613
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-10-2017 09:59 AM
    I teach a class in "Career Planning for Engineers" at the University of South Alabama and everything that has been discussed in this blog is almost exactly what I tell the students 1) Get your PE - you are not an engineer until you get your license 2) learn all that you can, you never know when something you are exposed to will become a benefit to you or your team in the future 3) Join professional organizations and actually get involved - join the board or a committee 4) Learn the business etiquette, you are now representing the firm you are working for as well as yourself 5) Your reputation is very important, so don't do anything to mess it up - including what you post on social media 6) Share your time and talent and give back to the engineering community 7) Develop a professional network - both within your firm and with your peers at other firms, and most importantly 8) Have fun and enjoy what you are doing. 

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    Jeffrey Duplantis P.E., F.ASCE
    Lawrenceville GA
    (225)921-3067
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-10-2017 09:59 AM
    Track down a copy of W.J. King's 1944 article "Unwritten Laws of Engineering."  Update "he/his/him" and "man" to "you".  Read it.  It has everthing in it except turn off your cellphone.

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    Robert Finucane P.E., F.ASCE
    Waterbury VT
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-13-2017 12:55 AM
    Here is a link online to the ASME article: Unwritten Laws of Ethiics by W. J, King and J.G. Skaka. Things have changed since them but much is still the same. 

    Steve

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    Stephen Forbes Ph.D., P.E., P.G., M.ASCE
    San Antonio TX
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-14-2017 06:09 PM
    I have been advised that I forgot the link....Sorry for oversight; not a sign of old age...have always been somewhat confused. Here is the link. Let me know if any problems opening or retrieving:  
    http://rotorlab.tamu.edu/me489_SP11/README/2010%20ASME%20Unwritten_Laws_of_Enginering.pdf    

    Steve 

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    Stephen Forbes Ph.D., P.E., P.G., M.ASCE
    San Antonio TX
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    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-13-2017 10:44 AM
    I had never heard of this article, but thanks for sharing...it is a good resource for entry-level engineers.  I have passed the link onto my jr. engineer.

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    Angela Hintz P.E., M.ASCE
    Senior Environmental Engineer
    Buffalo NY
    716-667-6613
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    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-10-2017 02:11 PM
    Over a 65 year period of engineering worldwide I have recruited hundreds of employees and I have enjoyed being brave when asked to stretch beyond my academic training. My advice to current students and graduates is:

    1 continue education beyond the bachelor level as soon as possible, such study becomes more difficult after one is in industry and possibly married. A masters degree provides a reinforcement of generalized skills through a somewhat narrower focus on a particular set of knowledge and skills. In my opinion the matter of PhD, when a person further narrows their focus, needs careful evaluation of worth and increase of employee value in industry. If research or academics are a consideration then the evaluation parameters differ greatly.
    2. It is almost axiomatic that one should achieve passage of the EIT before bachelor graduation; one earlier comment about the rate of rust of academic knowledge is spot on.
    3 Internships are most valuable; further using the interview process of industry leaders to recognize needs and opportunities during the academic years, as practiced 40 to 50 years ago, are very valuable to achieving compass for ones future career.
    4. And most rewarding and broadening is the courage to extend beyond the limits of knowledge gained to date. This often requires self study and investigative research. At this stage innovation often thrives. 

     

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    John Priest P.E., F.ASCE
    Capt CEC USN (ret)
    RETIRED, occasionally consulting in internatioal arena, latest for EU (2016)
    Littleton CO
    (303) 730-2929
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    Original Message


  • 15.  RE: Things every aspirational water engineering experts should do in their 20s

    Posted 02-23-2017 08:02 PM
    In today's world, you must always be working on your next job as soon as you start your current one.  Of course you must be fully present and dedicated to your work, but you must be able to take advantage of opportunities when they come up.  Remember, it is not your employer's job to manage your career.

    One element of this is to create a "career management document" where you document your activities and accomplishments.  Be meticulous about documentation.  You never know when being able to articulate that experience could make the difference in being a strong candidate for a future role.

    You must be able to quantify the result (i.e., benefit to the employer, client, or public) and what you did to contribute, including the methods and strategies you used.  Quantify, quantify, quantify.

    Update the career management document every quarter.  You can make a calendar appointment for yourself to spend about 30 minutes on it every 3 months.  It doesn't take long when the work is still fresh.

    Why is this important?  This document will become the raw material for your resumé and cover letters.  It is difficult to track your results if you wait until years after the fact when you are trying to change jobs.  The quality will suffer.

    I got a late start on this myself but learned how to do it from the folks at ManagerTools.com (another great source of free training for young professionals).

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    Steven Splitek, P.E., PMP, ENV SP
    Denver, CO
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    Original Message


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