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TCEP 113: How I Went from Tinker Bell into Disaster Recovery

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Tinker BellIn episode 113 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk with Gina Rock who is the Program Delivery Manager at Jacobs. We talk about her career journey from the circus to Disney’s longest flying Tinker Bell (yes she was Tinker Bell) and then into the world of engineering.  What I love about this episode is it really emphasizes how it’s never too late to make changes in your career path.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Gina About Her Journey as Disney’s Longest Flying Tinker Bell:

  • How did you end up being Disney’s longest flying Tinker Bell?
  • What did it feel like for you when you found out you got the job as Tinker Bell in Disneyland?
  • Tell us about your performance as Tinker Bell?
  • What made you decide to go back to the engineering field?
  • How did you feel when you started with your first individual assistance job?
  • What makes a manager or leader effective in your experience?

Here are some key points discussed in this episode:

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How Good Writing Skills Can Benefit Your Engineering Career

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This is a guest blog by Peter Hill 

Good Writing SkillsThe second half of the 20th century saw a significant rise of demand for qualified engineers, mostly because after the World War II there was a lot to be rebuilt but also science and technology started to develop rapidly. Large companies, often owned by people that weren’t engineers, but rich investors, needed specialists that could communicate in a way that was easy to understand. The late 60’s introduced technical writing which became one of the essential soft skills for every aspiring engineer. The reasons why writing is important nowadays vary and hold value to both engineers and their companies. In this article, we will discuss some of the major benefits that good writing skills hold for engineers.

The Better Prospect of Landing a Job

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TCEP 108: The Value IT Professionals Bring to the Engineering World

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IT ProfessionalsIn episode 108 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I will be speaking with Lisa Roger, PMP who is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Dewberry. We talk about her work in the Information Technology (IT) Department and also discuss the importance of IT Professionals in the engineering world.

Engineering Quotes:

IT Professionals

IT Professionals

Here are some of the questions I ask Lisa Roger, CIO:

  • What does being a CIO mean in terms of your responsibilities at Dewberry?
  • Talk to us about your philosophy in terms of IT?
  • Do you encourage interaction between IT professionals and engineering professionals?
  • How do you decide which software will be implemented at your company?
  • How much do you rely on out of the box software vs. software you have customized in-house?
  • Many small firms don’t have the advantage of an in-house IT department. At what point in an engineering firm’s growth do you think an IT department is needed and what are some of the pitfalls if they don’t have one?
  • How do you think the future of artificial intelligence will influence IT jobs and the engineering world?

Here are some key points discussed in this episode about IT Professionals:

[Read more…] about TCEP 108: The Value IT Professionals Bring to the Engineering World

TECC 192: Why Engineers Quit Managers Not Companies

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Quit ManagersIn this episode, I talk with Rich Archbold, senior engineering director at Intercom. We talk about an article he wrote called: “People leave managers, not companies. Don’t let that manager be you.”

Engineering Quotes:

Quit Managers

Quit Managers
Here are some of the key points discussed about why engineers quit managers and not companies:

[Read more…] about TECC 192: Why Engineers Quit Managers Not Companies

How to Increase the Efficiency of Your Construction Project

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How to Increase the Efficiency of Your Construction Project is a guest post by Holly Welles

Construction ProjectConstruction project efficiency has become a problem over the last 50 years. In spite of advances in construction technology, project efficiency has dropped by nearly half, which leaves jobs undone for years after their projected completion date. Construction holds the title of the industry that has the lowest productivity gains of any comparable sector, leaving many people to wonder what could have slowed down the workflow so much. Despite all of this, there are some things that project managers can do to increase the efficiency of their construction projects.

Be Proactive, Not Reactive

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4 Opportunities to Grow Your Leadership Skills

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4 Opportunities to Grow Your Leadership Skills is a blog post by guest author
Patrick Sweet, P.Eng., MBA, ASEP
Leadership Skills

Leadership skills are crucial for engineers looking to take on more responsibility, and move into management. If you’ve ever read this blog, or anything I’ve written on leadership in the past, you’ll already know that.

What you might not know is how to develop your leadership skills. This is a constant struggle for engineers looking to break into leadership roles – how can you grow to become a leader if nobody gives you the chance to develop those skills in the first place? How you can get leadership experience if all leadership roles require previous leadership experience?

Today, I’m going to share five ways that you can grow your leadership skills, regardless of whether you already have a formal leadership role at work or not. Pursuing just one of these ideas over the next year can do amazing things for you personally  and your ability to lead others.

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TCEP 088: Growing a Civil Engineering Company from the Ground up with Stephen Morse

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Civil Engineering CompanyIn episode 88 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk with Stephen Morse, PE, LEED AP from Grant Engineering about growing a civil engineering company from the ground up. Stephen talks about the process he went through in growing his company from starting out in his apartment to now having a growing office in New York City.

Here are some of the questions I ask Stephen:

  • What made you decide to start your own civil engineering company?
  • Tell us about your experience of hiring your first employee.
  • What types of projects are you currently working on, and what is your involvement in those projects?
  • How many employees does Grant Engineering have?
  • Can you explain what the organization: “Engineers Without Borders” is?
  • What would you say to a civil engineer that might consider starting their own civil engineering company?

Engineering Quotes:

Civil Engineering Company

Civil Engineering Company

Here are some key points discussed on growing a civil engineering company:

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How to Become an Effective Engineering Leader – Engineering Career TV Ep. 24

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Q: How can I become an Effective Engineering Leader?

Welcome to Episode #24 of Engineering Career TV. In this episode, I discuss the book titled Real Power: Business Lessons From the Tao Te Ching and give you some advice on how you can become an effective engineering leader. 

I will spend most of the Engineering Career TV episodes answering questions that have been submitted from engineers around the world on how to rapidly advance their careers and live the lives they want to live.

You can submit questions for the show by clicking here.

Let’s jump into today’s episode, a book review of the book entitled Real Power: Business Lessons From the Tao Te Ching, which is the fourth in a series of book reviews where I am discussing books that can help to provide more stress-free productivity:
[Read more…] about How to Become an Effective Engineering Leader – Engineering Career TV Ep. 24

Transitioning from Engineer to Manager – Engineering Career TV Ep. 3

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Q: What does it take to be a manager besides having strong leadership skills?

Welcome to Episode #3 of Engineering Career TV. The topic for this episode is Transitioning from engineer to manager.

I will spend most of the Engineering Career TV episodes answering questions that have been submitted from engineers around the world on how to rapidly advance their careers and live the lives they want to live.

You can submit questions for the show by clicking here.

Let’s jump into today’s topic, Transitioning from engineer to manager, which is based on a question from Zach, where he asks the following: [Read more…] about Transitioning from Engineer to Manager – Engineering Career TV Ep. 3

Developing Program Management Competencies to Excel in Your Engineering Career

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Program Management

Over my career I’ve amassed knowledge and skills, and the experience, to manage large programs. This took years. I didn’t step into my first infrastructure program management role until my 12th year as a practicing engineer, managing a housing program in the Air Force.  A few years later that program became a nearly $1 billion infrastructure program covering Europe and into Afghanistan.

Did I have any formal training to set me up for these roles?  No.

Most of us will step into project management – or even program or portfolio management – positions with little to no formal training. Since most people selected to manage projects, programs, or portfolios have exhibited the basic skills to do so effectively, the lack of legitimate training isn’t seen as show-stopper in companies.

However, in surveys of both public and private sector organizations conducted by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and other project management focused entities, some startling statistics highlight the importance of some amount of formal study: [Read more…] about Developing Program Management Competencies to Excel in Your Engineering Career