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ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, EMPLOYMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERS IS PROJECTED TO GROW 20% FROM 2012 TO 2022, FASTER THAN THE AVERAGE (AT 11%) FOR ALL OCCUPATIONS. AS INFRASTRUCTURE CONTINUES TO AGE, CIVIL ENGINEERS WILL BE NEEDED TO MANAGE PROJECTS TOREBUILD BRIDGES, REPAIR ROADS, AND UPGRADE LEVEES AND DAMS.

Agata Hall was born in Krakow, Poland, and spent most of her childhood in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She earned her undergraduate degree in civil engineering at McGill University in Montreal. After graduation she started her job as a water resource engineer for Amec Foster Wheeler, then decided to pursue her master’s degree in water resources engineering at the University of Alberta.

Hall, who has been with Amec Foster Wheeler for nine years, has learned some valuable lessons in that time. “At the beginning of a project, one really important thing is to take time to step back and look at the big picture—what are you trying to accomplish? And ask a lot of questions,” she advises.

Amec Foster Wheeler designs, delivers, and maintains strategic and complex assets for its customers across the global energy and related sectors. With over 40,000 employees in more than 50 countries, including approximately 17,000 in the Americas, the company operates across the whole of the oil and gas industry—from production through to refining, processing, and distribution of derivative products—and in the mining, clean energy, power generation, pharma, environment, and infrastructure markets.

Hall has a variety of duties as water resources engineer, with the majority of her work in flood and erosion protection, mine water management, and storm water management. “I also work on a lot of flood and erosion protection for erosion and sediment control on road projects,” she explains. “Our clients vary—I work with a lot of local government, municipal, and provincial government, some federal government agencies, and energy companies.”

On a typical project, Hall works the whole project, from preliminary design to completion. At the job site, she completes measurements, and takes that data back to her bosses. The data is used to run an applicable model and to propose the best course of action.

“One of the biggest challenges is that there are often many unknown variables. You have to make the best assumptions possible with the data you have, and that’s when you have to talk to some senior people to get their expertise on how to proceed,” she says.

Amec Foster Wheeler encourages learning, professional development, and contributing ideas to develop solutions for clients—all critical for new hires. “The company provides a good learning environment. It’s a multi-discipline firm, and the experienced people provide good mentorship and guidance, which is so important for those starting out,” says Hall.

As project manager for Stantec, Cristina Mlejnek fulfills many different roles in her current post as assistant city engineer—sometimes over the course of a single day—including project manager, designer, client services manager, and construction manager, which all play a role in completing a project on time, on budget, and to the client’s specifications.

A native of Osceola, WI, Mlejnek earned two BS degrees as an undergrad at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities—one in aerospace engineering and mechanics and the second in civil engineering. She was fortunate to secure a position with Stantec right after graduation, and throughout her ten years with the company has moved through the ranks, taking on positions with increasing responsibility. In her current position, she designs infrastructure improvements and oversees construction in the field.

“The private practice of engineering can be very multi-faceted,” Mlejnek explains. “At Stantec, we are encouraged to explore different career streams as we progress – technical, business development, and management. My current positions have elements of all three. Going forward, I hope to focus more on the business development and client management aspects of the business because I love working with people.”

Mlejnek has benefited from working for a large firm like Stantec, and she acknowledges it is a great place for a new engineer to hone her skills and build her knowledge base. “Working for a large firm provides many opportunities—from disciplines and types of projects to professional growth and geographic opportunities. Stantec has many local offices throughout North America that frequently collaborate on projects, sharing resources and expertise,” she says. “Opportunities in the industry and at Stantec are limitless—new technologies are constantly improving what we do while age-old fundamentals remain a strong foundation.”

Mlejnek’s job often varies from day to day, but she typically handles duties in four key areas: “As client service manager, I maintain client relationships, available to help them find solutions to their municipal infrastructure issues. I also coordinate with other disciplines at Stantec to help meet all their needs. As project manager, I create the project budget, defining the scope and keeping the project on schedule. I again coordinate between the client and our staff as well as internally,” she says. “As designer, I create the project’s contract documents to include the plan set and project manual. This involves coordination between Stantec, the client, and other organizations/ agencies. As construction manager, I coordinate between the client, residents/business owners, the contractor and sub-contractors, and other agencies and organizations during construction. I also observe construction to see that the project is being built in accordance with the contract documents. During construction, decisions need to be made when the unexpected occurs.”

Adds Mlejnek, “It is also imperative to understand the role that customer service plays in all daily activities. Good customer service has been on a rapid decline everywhere; and my past work experiences have engrained in me such skills that I highly attribute to my success. These skills need to be present in all correspondence, written and verbal, internally and externally.”

Kristin Kern’s job as engineer for Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), the first and oldest natural gas company in the U.S. and the largest electric and natural gas utility company in Maryland, could be considered non-traditional-she is working in what is still a predominately male field, in an industry that many overlook in their own career exploration. But Kern has made the most of it. “I came into this job young, and I am one of only a few females in the gas division, but one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that it’s okay to be different, and it’s okay to be yourself,” she says. “I currently work with mostly all men – I’m the one with the decorated cubicle, with flowers all around, and I’m still looking for pink steel-toed boots.”

A lifelong resident of Towson, MD, Kern’s path to an engineering career started in high school. Kern went on to earn her BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland, and has continued her education, her earning Green Belt and Six Sigma certifications, and is currently working towards her MBA at Loyola University.

Looking back, she says she regrets not taking more business courses, but is making up for lost time through her MBA studies. Kern worked as an intern at BGE for two summers during college, which gave her invaluable professional experience, allowed her to learn more about the company firsthand, and best of all, helped her secure a full-time job right after graduation. “I took about a month off [after graduation], then went right in to work,” she explains.

Founded in 1816, BGE has been one of the most recognized companies in central Maryland for nearly 200 years. It now serves over 1.2 million customers and has grown beyond just gas and electricity, with offerings that include a wide array of energy efficiency programs, services, and resources for customers. Kern has been a full-time BGE employee for three years. One of the first things she learned is to seek out learning opportunities and volunteer to take on new duties. “Also, get to know people. The people I work with…I’ve gotten to know their kids, their families. That can really make a difference,” she advises.

Many of Kern’s day-to-day responsibilities focus on gas planning and support, including risk assessment and infrastructure replacement. “We have one of the oldest natural gas systems in the country, so we look strategically at infrastructure we can upgrade and replace to enhance and improve reliability, safety, and comfort for our customers,” she says. She also handles program management, interacting with customers and helping them understand company processes, and is part of the company’s QA and QC team, which conducts extra audits of field teams to ensure compliance. The variety of tasks suits Kern well—“it’s never the same. I’m here, there, and everywhere, and that’s what keeps me interested and excited.”

Her colleagues have also played a role in her success. “As a young professional coming in, I was working with people who have been here for 20 and 30 plus years. I feel comfortable going to anyone in this office and asking for help or advice,” she says.

Becky Olson loves being able to see the results of her work every day. As project manager for Skanska, Olson is responsible for the interior elements of the Children’s Hospital of Richmond’s $135 million construction project. “I like seeing the physical manifestation of my work,” Olson says. “I’ve been on the same campus for ten years and I have been surrounded by my projects. There’s something fun about getting involved with the end user. Getting involved with the community has been an important piece of this project.”

Her first job after graduation was working for an insurance restoration company in Lincoln. “I was the point person—I managed things like the estimating and the subcontractors. It gave me a sense of what it was like to work on a full project. It was good exposure for my current job.” Olson stayed with her job for five years, and then started to seek out new opportunities.

A lack of general contractors and a strong desire to use the construction portion of her degree brought her east, where she was hired as project engineer for Skanska, one of the world’s leading project development and construction groups, with a strong focus on green construction, ethics, and occupational health and safety. Olson moved up from her project engineer role to assistant project manager to her current position as project manager, a position she has held since 2012.

For the children’s hospital project, Olson oversees the interiors packages, including the drywall, spray fireproofing, painting, and flooring. She also does cost management, and mentors another female engineer on the project. “I also handle tracking projects with our minority partners,” she explains.

Olson’s managers have willingly mentored her throughout her career. “When I was first hired at Skanska, I was put on a large project and the managers basically took me under their wing, sort of out of protection. Ten years ago a woman in construction was a huge novelty, but now I don’t think I’m different from anyone else. I have had a lot of people who have looked out for me and taught me,” she says.

Olson has taken on the role of manager in her time with the company, a role that she has come to enjoy. “Teaching and training new associates is so much fun,” she says. “Answering questions and helping to frame them in a context that the younger engineer understands and can apply to the project has been a challenge.” The added responsibility of managing direct reports requires good time management. “It’s about prioritizing,” Olson says. “Managing takes a lot of time out of my day, but it’s been a joy to see our younger engineers come along.”

The mentoring opportunities speak to Skanska’s corporate culture. “There is a lot of different training available,” she says. “The company has rotation environments, which help the new hires figure out where they want to end up. They might try one area but decide that’s not for them, so they can move somewhere else.”

Another positive? “I don’t think there’s anywhere else that I could work that would treat me any better. There’s a strong sense of loyalty here, good projects, and I work with good people. The project sites tend to feel like you are working with family.”

It’s hard to imagine the United States without our interstate transportation system. According to a report by the American Highway Users Alliance, approximately one trillion person miles are traveled on the interstate highway system each year. With that much usage, safe and secure infrastructure is vital. Lara Lapinski can speak to this firsthand. As traffic signals engineer with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), she is part of the team that oversees the traffic signaling system throughout the Keystone state.

Lapinski earned a BS in structural engineering from Penn State University. “Now that I’m in management I think additional coursework in business management and/or human resources would have been beneficial,” she says. “Engineering curriculum only focuses on the engineering. I didn’t realize how much the ‘people’ skills come into play until I entered a supervisory position.”

After graduation Lapinski worked as graduate engineer with a structural engineering consulting firm in Harrisburg, PA. The single biggest lesson she learned from that experience was the importance of being open to change. “Technology changes. Engineering standards change. Even the economy changes. All of these things can affect the industry. How a person responds to these changes ultimately affects how successful they are,” she says.

A traffic signal engineer for Engineering District 3-0 with PennDOT for six years, Lapinski oversees traffic signals, highway lighting, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), traffic counts, Traffic Impact Study reviews, and Highway Occupancy Permit plan reviews related to signalized intersections. I also serve as district roundabout coordinator and member of the District ADA committee,” she says. “My staff is predominately tasked with ensuring that the traffic signals, highway lighting, and ITS devices within our nine county region are designed, built, and operated according to department regulations.”

Due to the diverse nature of her job, every day is different. “One day I might be out in the field activating a new traffic signal and the next I’m attending a municipal meeting or in the office reviewing a traffic impact study,” she explains. “Ironically the thing that I like the best about my job can also sometimes be the biggest challenge. This job requires constant juggling of multiple priorities that could change from day to day. Aiming at these moving targets can get a little stressful at times.”

PennDOT oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, currently supporting over 40,500 miles of state roads and highways, approximately 25,000 bridges, and new roadway construction. Lapinski says that government agencies such as PennDOT provide more opportunities than most people realize, and the range of job responsibilities provide invaluable experience. “In my ten years with District 3-0 I’ve worked in the design unit, one of our county maintenance offices, and now in the traffic unit,” she says. “Each of these three areas is completely different from each other. I don’t know if you could get that type of diverse experience working for a private firm.”

Working as an engineer for a government agency also brings a certain amount of stability that can be difficult to find in an economic climate that is still recovering. “If roadway and bridge projects start to get cancelled due to budgetary constraints the design consultants and the contractors are usually the first to start laying people off,” Lapinski explains. “Because the department still has the maintenance responsibilities our people are still needed to perform those tasks.”

Ask Haley Falconer what drew her to the engineering field and what she likes most about her job as a wastewater project engineer for HDR, and without hesitation she says, “Environmental engineering is what I love. It makes the world a better place—the fact that this is a career where I know what I’m doing has a positive impact has kept me motivated.”

Falconer earned her BS in civil engineering from North Dakota State University and a master’s in environmental engineering from Washington State University. “I gained the technical knowledge through my education, and I was able to take on some leadership roles in my extracurricular activities, so I think it gave me a sense of how things work in the real world,” she says. “I do think that engineering programs need more communication requirements. You need to be able to express yourself clearly, and that’s not really covered in most programs.”

Falconer has been with HDR since graduating in 2009. Since entering the working world, she finds that in the field, “it’s more important to stay current with trends rather than just do research.” Other important lessons Falconer has learned? “You are in charge of your career,” she says. “All of the opportunities I’ve had have helped me to be successful. I also learned that if you need help—ask!”

In her role at HDR, Falconer is responsible for “upfront planning. There’s a lot of big picture thinking, and I like that—I like to see what’s coming. I work with a lot of municipal clients and they have regulatory concerns,” she says. “I’ve been able to build my network because of this—your colleagues can get to know you,” she says.

Wastewater is a big concern for municipalities. On site, Falconer works with the client and assesses their existing wastewater facility’s design and treatment process. “The next step is the preliminary design of an upgraded system, then a detailed design, and finally construction,” she explains. “I work with the clients to help them understand the various regulations while also trying to keep them compliant.”

HDR is an architectural and engineering consulting firm whose diverse portfolio includes design projects in the healthcare, justice, and science and industry facilities for both federal and municipal clients. “The company offers incredible professional development support and growth opportunities. You also have the flexibility to be able to fit in more personal goals—for example, you can work from home if need be. I didn’t see that at a lot of other places I interviewed,” Falconer says. “As a new mom, I can do my job and what I’ve worked hard for, but still have a personal life.”

For women entering the engineering field, Falconer advises finding “a mentor – or ten. Identify people you can lean on or go to with questions. Also, negotiate. There is a lot of research that shows that women are very bad at this. Get involved in professional organizations, and try to find an opportunity to have a leadership role.”

And finally—“learn to play golf,” she instructs. “Be able to say ‘yes’ to a golf tournament. You learn about all sorts of opportunities during golf outings. I took golf in college to be able to do that.”