It usually starts with a daydream.
“What if instead of working for my boss, I was the boss? What if I was the one making all the decisions? Maybe I could start my own company.”
If Board meetings had themes, this one would be “the future.”
Early on the agenda for the recent ASCE Board of Direction meeting, held Jan. 24 in Orlando, FL, was the reveal of a new, future-focused name and logo for ASCE’s key educational initiative. Formerly known as “Raise the Bar,” the initiative is now entitled “Engineer Tomorrow: Knowledge for a Changing World.” The rebranding reflects...
This is a question that I get from civil engineering students almost daily. Should they seek full-time employment immediately after completing their undergraduate studies or pursue a master’s degree?
Let me preface my answer with two statements. First, graduate school and professional engineering licensure are invaluable tools for any civil engineer – as noted in ASCE’s Engineer Tomorrow initiative – but, as with any career, it’s more...
Skyscrapers, airports, bridges – you name it, civil engineers build it.
The nation needs more civil engineers to lend their ingenuity and bring growing cities to life.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the civil engineering field is projected to grow 11 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for most occupations.
Whether you’re a new civil engineer or simply looking for change, finding...
“The devil’s in the detail” is an idiom that is very relevant to civil engineers, and one to think about as you plan for the new year. In the world of civil engineering projects and technical design, details matter, and you should spend your time ensuring that those details are correct. However, when it comes to your professional development plan, the opposite may be...
We all know the joke about the difference between the extroverted and the introverted engineer when they talk to someone. Introverted engineers look at their shoes, and extroverted engineers look at your shoes. Funny, unless you’re an engineer trying to break away from this career stereotype like I did.
An introvert is defined as a shy, reticent person. Engineer or not, these characteristics do pose...
You may be thinking, or have already decided, to take the management track.
But how do you get there and what kinds of skills do you need to succeed?
As more young civil engineers enter the workforce, the demand for versatile managers increases as well. Soft skills are as important as technical skills when navigating management duties within your company.
According to Wonderlic, 93 percent of employers...
John Barton, P.E., M.ASCE, serves as HNTB Corporation's national DOT market sector leader and senior vice president. Barton's experience includes nearly 30 years at the Texas Department of Transportation, including his most recent role as deputy executive director.
Today, he shares how what he calls the “new tariff reality” could bring out the best in civil engineers.
Anyone who has taken a microeconomics course is not...
Randy P. Wall, P.E., M.ASCE, is a vice president for the Western Branch of ASCE's Montana Section. He is the president of the Engineering Leadership Institute, consulting with firms to create success-focused cultures, improve operations, and increase profits. In today's Member Voices column, Wall outlines a path toward profitability that might surprise some: a hyper-economic, results-based business focus might, ultimately, be bad for business.
You know...
Engineers have a great story to tell.
For centuries, civil engineers have constructed their legacies in the form of remarkable infrastructure that has shaped history and continues to influence the future. Civil engineers are essential to society, but as a profession, their narratives remain largely untold.
In this episode of the ASCE Interchange, Robert Deigh, principal of RDC Public Relations LLC and author of Spark: The...
