When I began my engineering career, fresh out of school with a bright and shiny E.I. after my name, I came to my first job feeling educated and ready to tackle whatever the job threw at me. I quickly realized my education was only a very small fraction of what I needed to know to be a successful engineering consultant.
In fact, one of the tasks I was given during my first year here was to attend the Indiana Section American Water Works Association (AWWA) Annual Conference and to write a short blog about what I learned. I walked out of that conference with no idea what I would write about and was embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t retained much from the conference because I did not understand much of it. Even some of the titles were over my head. I wound up writing about how little I knew, how much there was to learn, and how grateful I was to be surrounded by engineers that not only valued but truly cherished the opportunity to learn new things and to forever be students.
Check out her first blog here!
Since then, I’ve worked in the industry for six years, gotten my Professional Engineer license this past June, and traveled abroad to London where I got a masters degree in 2022. Now they’ve asked me to write about what I’ve learned and what has changed for me since that first blog. And to be honest, I’m not sure much has changed. I’m still often struck by how much I don’t know and still impressed by my colleagues and their eagerness to constantly learn more.
I didn’t expect that getting the P.E. would automatically make me knowledgeable about all things civil engineering, but I did sincerely think that by the time I obtained the certification, I’d have all the tools in my toolbelt to meet someone on the street, define their engineering problem, write a study to evaluate solutions, and effectively design the chosen solution – all by myself. What I’ve learned since then is that no man is an island.
Being a consultant is being a team member every single day. It’s working with our CAD staff, our electrical, structural, I&C, and mechanical engineers, as well as our administrative staff. It’s working with our clients collaboratively to deliver a product that not only solves their problem but looks and functions the way they want it to.
But beyond that – it’s relying on the help and support of the other engineers in my own department. One thing I’ve come to really value and appreciate in my coworkers is our different skillsets and how we complement each other. There are some engineers that are really excellent at understanding constructability in the field; others that are excellent at understanding operations and laying out a treatment plant in a way that is functional for the people who have to work there every day; others that have a deep and intuitive understanding of the technical pieces of the job, like hydraulic calculations or treatment chemistry.
Being a good consultant isn’t about knowing how to do it all yourself – but about building a team with diverse skills that you can trust and rely on.
I’m so grateful for the many lessons I’ve learned during my tenure at Wessler, but I’m most grateful for the amazing colleagues I’m surrounded by, their support and assistance, and their collaborative mindset.
Teamwork really does make the dream work.
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