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TCEP 110: From Engineer to Owner with Karen Jehanian

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Engineer to OwnerIn episode 110 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I speak with Karen Jehanian, P.E. who is the President & Founder of KMJ Consulting, Inc. We talk about how she went from engineer to owner in her career and discuss the important role that entrepreneurship plays in the civil engineering industry.

Engineering Quotes:


Here are some of the questions I ask Karen:

  • Tell us about the journey you took in going from engineer to owner?
  • What is your philosophy around culture in a company?
  • Tell us about the importance of the client experience?
  • What is your opinion on creating a culture of creativity?
  • What is the difference between entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship?

Here are some key points discussed in this episode about going from engineer to owner:

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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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TECC 194: Do You Prefer Sprinting or Jogging with Your Professional Development Efforts?

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Professional DevelopmentIn this episode of The Engineering Career Coach Podcast, I outline two different approaches to professional development. I explain the advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches, and how you can use them to increase your overall success in your engineering career and life.

Engineering Quotes:

Professional Development

Here are the 2 different approaches to professional development:

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TCEP 109: Construction Engineering – Communication in Negotiated Bid Contracts

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Construction EngineeringIn episode 109 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk with Nils Gransberg, MS on topics related to Construction Engineering. Nils also tells us about the research he is conducting into negotiated bid contracts, and about his military background and experience.

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some of the questions I ask Nils:

  • Tell us more about the discipline of Construction Engineering?
  • Why did you decide to get your PhD?
  • Tell us about your research on negotiated bid contract delivery in public projects?
  • Can you talk about what it was like being a civil engineer in the military?

Here are some key points discussed in this episode about construction engineering:

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TECC 193: What Prison Has Taught This Young Engineer and How it Can Help You

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prisonIn this episode, I talk with Jim (a false name used to keep our guest anonymous), a young engineer who had to spend some time in prison soon after he graduated college. We talk about everything he went through while in prison as well as the things he learned and how his experiences have contributed to his success in his career.

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some of the key points discussed about Jim’s time spent in prison:

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How Engineers Can Develop Necessary Soft Skills to Excel in Their Careers

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How Engineers Can Develop Necessary Soft Skills to Excel in Their Careers is a guest post by Tiffany Rowe

Soft SkillsThe five years of an engineer’s bachelor’s degree program are filled with complex math and science. Indeed, almost all of an engineer’s training pertains to the hard skills they will directly apply to problems in their field during the course of their career. Yet, what most new engineering grads discover as they enter the workforce is that they are woefully under prepared to function in the workplace because they have failed to develop their soft skills.

Hiring managers are always looking for well-developed soft skills, even in engineers. The ability to communicate, to work in teams, to think creatively and adapt swiftly to new situations are mandatory in the modern workplace, and it is unlikely that an engineer will find success without cultivating such skills. Fortunately, it isn’t difficult to enhance one’s soft skills, both inside and outside an educational environment. Here are a few ways engineers can build the skills they need to excel in their careers.

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You Are an Expert, and It’s Time to Own It

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You Are an Expert, and It’s Time to Own It is a blog post by guest author Patrick Sweet, P.Eng., MBA

Expert

In the world of knowledge work, expertise is everything. Gone are the days of the master builder who knew every trade and could do it all. Employers look for people with more and more experience in smaller and smaller niches. Experts are linchpins in their organizations in every industry.

Needless to say, being able to lay claim to any kind of specialty is very valuable in one’s career. It’s something every engineer should be pursuing in one form or another.

Luckily, developing expertise isn’t anywhere near as difficult as most people think. In fact, when you stop and think about it, it can be very easy to develop real expertise quickly and to reap the benefits in your career, even if you’re just getting started. The only trick is to re-frame the way you think of expertise.

Don’t ask permission

The first mistake people make with respect to expertise is that they think they need others to validate them as an expert. That’s nonsense. If you know more about a given subject than 80% of people, you’re an expert. You don’t need to be in the top 1%. You don’t need a PhD. All you need is to know your stuff better than most people.

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TECC 165: Opportunities for Engineers and Technical Professionals in the Gig Economy

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Opportunities for Engineers and Technical Professionals in the Gig Economy

Opportunities for EngineersIn this episode, I talk with Diane Mulcahy, author of The Gig Economy about opportunities for engineers and technical professionals in the current and future economy. The Gig Economy is a shift in the economy from people working 9 to 5 jobs to people performing freelancing or independent work. This is something that can be very applicable to the engineering world and already is very prevalent.

Episode Quotes:

Opportunities for Engineers

Opportunities for Engineers

Here are the key points discussed on opportunities for engineering and technical professionals in the ‘Gig Economy:’

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TCEP 070: A Day in the Life of a Geotechnical Engineering CEO

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Geotechnical Engineering CEO

In episode 065 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk with David Gockel, PE, PP, LEED AP, CEO of Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, about how a day in the life of a geotechnical engineering CEO looks, especially one that is in charge of a very fast-growing firm.

Here are some of the questions I ask Dave:

  1. What prevents engineers from learning other skill sets?
  2. How did you acquire the skills needed to get to where you are today?
  3. Tell me about a memorable success in your career.
  4. Tell me about one of the mistakes you’ve made and what you learned from it.
  5. Is it true that if civil engineers want to achieve a partner/owner status in their firms, that they must be a great business developer?
  6. What is one valuable piece of advice that you can give to a striving seller-doer?
  7. At what point in your career (if ever) did you have a goal of being the CEO?
  8. How would you summarize your job description as CEO?
  9. Would you take us through a typical day as CEO?
  10. What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a CEO?

Engineering Quotes:

Geotechnical Engineering

Geotechnical Engineering

Here are some key points discussed on a day in the life of a Geotechnical Engineering CEO:

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Getting an Engineering Job after a Hiatus – Engineering Career TV Ep. 26

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Q: How can I get an engineering job after a hiatus?

Welcome to Episode #26 of Engineering Career TV. The topic for this episode is getting an engineering job after a hiatus. 

I 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: getting an engineering job after a hiatus, which is based on a question from Matt, who asks the following:
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