How to become the Best Civil Engineer While still in School
Q: Can you become a good Civil Engineer while you are still in school?
Welcome to episode #34 of Engineering Career TV. The theme for today’s episode is: How to become the best civil engineer while still in school.
I spend almost all of the Engineering Career TV episodes answering questions that have been submitted from engineers around the world. The questions are typically focused on professional development for engineering professionals, especially relevant to practicing engineers.
You can submit questions for the show by clicking here.
Let’s jump into today’s topic: How to become the best civil engineer while still in school. This topic is based on a question from Carl, who asks the following:
Q: I am currently completing the third year as an undergraduate at Cal State University Northridge. My question is this: What do you think are some key moves that I could be doing now to groom myself to soon be a civil engineer looking for a position in (fresh) water resources management. I am a returning student completing my bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
My first career started with digging ditches and humping lumber and ended in construction management. I chose civil engineering because I have committed myself to addressing climate change and I knew that my knowledge in construction could be valuable in this endeavor. I am focusing on water resources management and I am driven to work in fields such as drought mitigation, watershed restoration, flood mitigation and forest restoration.
A: The full answer can be seen in the Engineering Career TV video above, but here are a few of the main points:
- Talk to people that are successful in your industry.
- Ask questions and find out how they got to where they are.
- Execute on their answer.
- Go to the best in the field and find out what they have done to succeed and then imitate them.
Resources mentioned in today’s Engineering Career TV:
Ask a Question
The Engineering Mastermind
The Engineering Management Accelerator
I hope you found this episode of Engineering Career TV helpful.
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What questions do you have about becoming the best civil engineer while you are still in school?
To your success,
Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success
