Engineering Management Institute

Civil Engineers

Civil Engineers Are in High Demand

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This is a guest post by Dr. Rae Taylor

I am a member of the social networking site “Nextdoor” (I call it a nosy neighbor site). I joined for the COVID updates and to volunteer my superpowers as a relatively young, low-COVID-risk person. But I stayed for the complete insanity that is village gossip. I was a little shocked to get a notification from my county saying “Civil Engineers!!! We need you!” I clicked on the post and it sounded a little desperate. It seems my county doesn’t mind what stage of your career you are in, what area of civil engineering you are in, or even if you get your job ads from a site used primarily to discuss whose dog is barking at what time.

In the same week, I got an email from a city not too far from me, where I had unsuccessfully applied for a job in 2016, asking me if I would like to apply for a job again. They provided a link to the job they were thinking about, but stressed that if anything else caught my eye I should apply for that too.

The following week I got two messages on LinkedIn from recruiters about civil engineering jobs, located about two hours away, that they thought I might like to apply for.

Now is a good time to point out that while I have worked as a civil engineer before, until now I have never been recruited as one. There is a convincing argument that when you get a Ph.D., you will no longer be a good engineer. Clearly this is an oversimplification, and an enjoyable discussion can be had on this. But I would say that I can’t think of a person I know, or know of (other than me), who has done graduate-level research and then gone into an EIT or P.E. role exclusively. So it should make sense when I tell you that previously, all the messages I got recruiting me to apply for a job were for jobs in R&D, teaching and talking about research, or in one fun case setting up experiments for a TV show. But not civil engineering jobs. As such, these latest recruiting messages conjured up visions of a barrel and an entire HR department reaching as far as they can to the base.

So what’s happening and should we be worried? Well, lots, and yes, always.

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TCEP 201: All You Need to Know About Forensic Engineering

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Forensic EngineeringIn this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk to Heidi Klein, MCE, PE, a Project Manager of Forensics at Vertex, about forensic engineering, what it is, the kind of work it includes, and the roles forensic engineers play when working on a case.

Engineering Quotes:

Forensic Engineering

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Heidi:

  1. What is forensic engineering and when would someone contact a forensic engineer?
  2. What kind of evidence do forensic engineers collect?
  3. Do forensic engineers need to testify in court?
  4. What does a career in forensic engineering look like?
  5. How can civil engineers in the construction industry help to make investigations easier for forensic engineers?
  6. How do you deal with performance-based design investigations?
  7. What advice can you provide to engineers considering a career in forensic engineering?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Forensic Engineering:

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TCEP 197: The Latest Surveying Trends That Civil Engineers Should Be Aware Of

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surveyingIn this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk with Joey C Wilson II, PE, RLS, President and CEO at Wilson & Associates about the relationship between civil engineering and surveying and discuss some of the latest surveying trends out there, like enhanced drones, LIDAR, and Visual Design Construction (VDC).

Engineering Quotes:

surveying

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Joey:

  1. How did you get involved in the company, and ended up where you are today?
  2. What is the relationship between civil engineering and surveying?
  3. Why is surveying so incredibly important when it comes to the inspection of high-risk areas?
  4. How has the drone industry helped civil engineers to complete their work more accurately?
  5. How important are good ground control points?
  6. What is VDC (visual design and construction)?
  7. What is LIDAR in construction?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About The Latest Surveying Trends:

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TCEP 195: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: How It Will Affect Civil Engineers

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Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

In this episode, I talk to Dennis D. Truax, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, D.WRE, F.NSPE, F.ASCE, the 2022 President of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the professor emeritus of the Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Mississippi State University about the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and how it will affect civil engineering companies in the short and long term.

Engineering Quotes:


Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Dennis:

  • What does the new legislation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, entail?
  • How soon will funding be available for this legislation?
  • Are civil engineering schools addressing new technologies in their curricula?
  • Should companies that are interested in the projects keep in contact with their DOT?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:

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TCEP 192: How Outreach and Mentorship Can Lead to a More Diverse Engineering Industry

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Outreach and Mentorship

In this episode, I talk to Kevin Brown Jr., P.E., a construction manager at Urban Engineers, about how outreach and mentorship can lead to a more diverse industry. He also discusses some of the challenges faced when connecting with youth in communities, and provides some great advice for engineers who would be interested in serving as a mentor.

Engineering Quotes:

Outreach and Mentorship
Outreach and Mentorship

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Kevin About Outreach and Mentorship:

  • What can civil engineers do to prepare themselves for work on construction sites?
  • Why is it important for engineers to reach out to underrepresented communities?
  • What are some of the challenges you have faced when connecting with the youth in communities?
  • Why is the representation of diverse groups important?
  • What advice would you want to give to someone who would be interested in serving as a mentor?
  • How can engineers incorporate corporate DEI plans in the workplace?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Outreach and Mentorship:

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TCEP 191: What Civil Engineers Need to Know About Proposal Writing

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Proposal Writing

In this episode, I talk to Matt Handal, a proposal expert and author of the book called “Proposal Development Secrets: Win More, Work Smarter, and Get Home on Time,” about proposal writing for engineers. He share some great tips that you can use as a working engineer to get better at this process.

Engineering Quotes:

proposal writing

proposal writing

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Matt:

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TCEP 188: Why People Development Is Important When Growing a Civil Engineering Firm

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People Development

In this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, we talk with two engineers from Alaska that decided to start their own firm and really focused on people development within their firm. They are Garret K. Gladsjo, P.E.and Lucas Chambers, P.E., co-owners and principal engineers at proHNS LLC. We talk about how investing in your staff can help grow your company tremendously.

Engineering Quotes:


Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Garret and Lucas:

  • How did you end up starting your firm and what services does your firm provide?
  • Talk to us about the importance of people development at your firm, and how you find, develop, and retain the right people?
  • How do you ensure that the right people are doing the right things and that you promote the right people into the right position at your firm?
  • How do you identify who needs what training or development? Do you have a process to ensure you are consistently developing your people?
  • Problem-solving is the essence of what engineering leaders do, but how do you and your company identify the problems that arise?
  • Once you identify problems, does your company have a specific process for solving them? If so, what does it look like?
  • What are some typical problems that you see in civil engineering firms, specifically when they are trying to grow or scale?
  • Do you have any final advice to civil engineers out there who are trying to grow their own companies, or who are considering pursuing a career similar to yours?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About People Development:

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TCEP 185: How to Grow a Civil Engineering Company Successfully

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Grow a Civil Engineering Company

In this episode, the ninth episode in our Civil Engineering Entrepreneurs Series, I talk to Brian Barker, P.E., M.S., Principal at Deuel & Associates about how to start and grow a civil engineering company successfully, specifically some of the challenge you will face when you start, and how to overcome them.  Brian also talks about how you can reduce your company’s risk through client diversification.

Engineering Quotes:

Grow a Civil Engineering Company

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Brian:

  • How do you find, develop, and retain the right people in your firm?
  • What markets can a civil engineer think of getting into to grow their company?
  • Are there benefits to having an in-house surveying component in a civil engineering company?
  • What needs to be focused on daily to continue the growth of your company?
  • What advice do you have for civil engineers getting into the leadership part of a civil engineering company?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About How to Grow a Civil Engineering Company:

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TCEP 183: The Importance of Geological Engineering in Civil Engineering Projects

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In this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk to Christina Tipp, PG, CEG, a professional geologist, and Jason Island, P.E., QSP/D, a senior civil engineer, both from SHN, about the crossover between geological engineering and civil engineering, and how and when you need to get geological engineers involved in your civil engineering projects.

Engineering Quotes:

geological engineering

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Jason and Christina:

  • What is geological engineering and what do geological engineers do?
  • Why is it important for engineers to have a good understanding of the different disciplines involved in a civil engineering project?
  • Tell us about some of the civil engineering projects you have worked on in the past where you needed to get geological engineering involved on the civil engineering project?
  • How do civil engineers know when to involve a geological engineer in their projects?
  • Tell us about a civil engineering project that you both have worked on together that had a geological component to it?
  • What advice can you give engineers considering pursuing a career in geological engineering?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Geological Engineering:

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TCEP 173: How to Build a Vision-Driven Civil Engineering Company

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vision-driven civil engineering company

In this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, that is part of our Civil Engineering Entrepreneurs series, I talk to Rene Portieles II, P.E., the Chief Executive Officer of Epic Forensics & Engineering, Inc. about his journey of starting an engineering company and how today, they are building a vision-driven civil engineering company around one very important theme. Stick around until the end to hear some of the great advice Rene gives, not just to grow a company, but also to grow as an engineering professional.

Engineering Quotes:

vision-driven civil engineering company


Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Rene:

  • Tell us more about your family history, and history in contracting and how that has been valuable in what you are doing today?
  • What is forensic engineering?
  • What does a mission/vision statement mean to you in terms of growing a civil engineering firm, and how do you utilize it at Epic Forensics & Engineering?
  • How do you share your mission/vision with the company?
  • How big is Epic Forensics & Engineering?
  • What are some of the typical problems you see in engineering firms when they are trying to grow or scale a company?
  • How do you find, develop, and retain the right people in your firm?
  • What advice can you give civil engineers out there who are trying to grow their companies?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Building a Vision-Driven Civil Engineering Company:

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