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TECC 242: Critical Career Questions Answered for Engineering Professionals

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Career QuestionsIn this episode, I answer critical career questions from engineers about career planning, licensing, work-life balance, credentials, finding a job, working remotely, and more, and also talk about happiness in your career.

These questions are from a Q&A session where I answered career questions for engineers. During these sessions, I take career questions from engineers on any challenging situation they are dealing with, career planning questions they might have, goal setting, or any other engineering-related questions. If you are interested in joining me on these calls, please check out the link in the show notes of this episode.

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” ~ Alice Walker

Engineering Quotes:

career questions

career questions

Here Are Some of the Career Questions and Answers in This Episode:

Question:

I recently received my mechanical P.E. license. However, having spent most of my career as a quality engineer, how should I make the most of it?

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TCEP 156: Work-Life Balance Strategies for Civil Engineers

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Work-Life Balance StrategiesHaving a healthy work-life balance is a difficult challenge even in the best of times, but it is becoming more and more necessary during these times of economic stagnation and uncertainty. That is why, in this week’s episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, Ken Mika, P.E. M.ASCE, a project engineer and office leader for Geosyntec’s Green Bay, Wisconsin office will provide some great work-life balance strategies that you can use to help you along the way.

Engineering Quotes:

Work-Life Balance Strategies

Work-Life Balance Strategies

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Ken:

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How to Navigate the Challenges of Managing Remote Work

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This is a guest blog by Trilby Lawless, BigTime Software

Remote Work

Over the last 10 years, remote work has grown in popularity by 91%. Even though the current pandemic has given businesses no other option but to move to remote work, many have seen it as a silver lining. The benefits for employees are clear: flexible work structures, improvement to work-life balance, job satisfaction, and productivity.   

But as leaders and managers, you may think: It’s great for individuals, but how do I make it great for the business? 

After all, you need to keep goals and projects moving forward, but managing teams and your firm’s operations simply looks different outside of the office. A new set of challenges can arise.  

The good news is that with the right tools in place, it is now easier than ever to make this happen and to make it happen efficiently. In this post, we’ll explore the three most common challenges of managing a remote or hybrid office for engineering firms, and the strategies you need to navigate them successfully.  

The goal is to have a new management outlook for remote work, so your firm can find its groove outside of the office and empower your team to be productive and grow.  

Let’s get into it.  

Challenge 1: Lacking an Operational Process That Fosters Communication and Insight Into Progress and Staff Utilization

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TCEP 129: Two Civil Engineering Presidents on the Steps They Took to Success

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Civil Engineering PresidentsIn episode 129 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, our fourth episode in our Women in Civil Engineering series, I talk to two female civil engineering presidents from different cities in Texas. They are Julia Harrod, P.E., F.NSPE who is the President of MWM DesignGroup and Bonnie Moss, P.E. who is the President of MBCO Engineering. We talk about the steps they took to become successful civil engineering presidents and they also provide some great advice on how you can become a productive and successful civil engineering professional in your field.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask These Two Civil Engineering Presidents:

  • What are the ups and downs of being a business owner?
  • Tell us about the philosophy of work/life balance.
  • How do you prioritize your tasks for the day?
  • How did you obtain the necessary financial experience and skills to run a company?
  • What is it like to be a civil engineer in Texas?
  • Tell us about the hiring process you follow.
  • Did you always want to be the president of a firm?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode:

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Successful Employee Management for Your Engineering Startup

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This is a guest blog by Jim Hughes

Employee ManagementThe number of engineers launching their own startup companies is increasing. More and more engineers are pursuing new entrepreneurial ventures with the dream of becoming their own boss, launching their own product or services, and making a dent in their industries. This has highlighted something that is critical to startup success: employee management, which is a huge challenge. 

Employee management covers best practices to retain the top talent who will help you achieve your goals. As a founder, you know that a big part of your success (or failure) is your people. So, as you work your way towards establishing an engineering startup, it is important to equip yourself with knowledge in employee management. 

Finding the Right People 

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Does Work-Life Balance Exist? A Myth or a Reality?

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Does Work-Life Balance Exist? A Myth or a Reality is a guest blog by Jacob Dillon

Work-life balance is a renowned concept that refers to the situation when a person has a regular and sustainable source of income, while at the same time, is able to take out enough time to relax with his or her loved ones or to do stuff that they find entertaining, in order to regularly rejuvenate themselves and avoid experiencing burnouts. [Read more…] about Does Work-Life Balance Exist? A Myth or a Reality?

TCEP 121: From Engineer to CEO and Everything In-Between

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In episode 121 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I will be bringing you with me to visit with William T. Thomsen, PE, who is the President and CEO of Urban Engineers of New York, DPC. We will be talking about his career journey and what has factored into his success and progression from engineer to Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  He’ll also talk about how his Engineering Management degree has helped him in his career.

Engineering Quotes:

Engineer to CEO

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Bill Thomsen, PE:

  1. Take us through your career progression from engineer to CEO?
  2. At what point in your career did you become part of the executive leadership team?
  3. What does it take to manage large scale projects like the ones you have managed?
  4. Your father was the President of a construction company, how did his career influence your career?
  5. You have a degree in Engineering Management, how has that degree helped you?
  6. What worries you about the Civil Engineering industry right now?
  7. Is it possible to have work-life balance as an engineering executive?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Going from Engineer to CEO:

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How to Hire and Manage Millennials

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This is a guest blog by Allison Hail

MillennialsWith millennials making up a large part of the workforce, it’s fast becoming necessary for all employers to know how to manage them. Millennials who have just graduated are well aware of the growing opportunities in other countries. As a result, they are likely to consider moving abroad; one study suggests that 59% of millennials in the United States would consider moving to a foreign country for a job, compared to 35% of the general population, and this statistic is even higher in countries such as France and the Netherlands. There are a few things to keep in mind that will make hiring and managing millennials a smooth process:

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TCEP 089: Why Civil Engineering CEOs Need to Focus on People with Nick DeNichilo

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In episode 89 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk with Nicholas (Nick) DeNichilo P.E., President and CEO of Mott MacDonald North America. Our conversation focused mostly on why civil engineering CEOs need to focus on people and the effect that doing so can have on you in your career and life.

Here are some of the questions I ask Nick about his journey and his work as CEO:

  • How did you decide that you wanted to go into engineering?
  • What are some of the things that civil engineers can do in preparation to become a CEO of a civil engineering firm?
  • How big is the Mott Macdonald “family”?
  • What is the hardest part of being a CEO?
  • How do you decide what work you should focus on each day?
  • As a CEO of a company, how do you maintain a work-life balance?

Engineering Quotes:

Civil Engineering CEOs

Civil Engineering CEOs

Here are some key points discussed in this episode:

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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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