When I graduated college with a degree in Civil Engineering, my career was anything but mapped out. Like most graduates, I thought I was prepared and ready to enter the professional world, but I quickly learned that graduation really is just the beginning.
Unfortunate but true, you do not know everything when you graduate like you think you do when you are in school. Most of the experience comes from the people that you are around, the people that you work with and the experience you gain along the way.
When I first started, land development was honestly just where I landed. But I enjoyed it, continued learning and found a career that fit my strengths. Sometimes simply starting is the hardest hurdle to overcome, but that experience taught me that you don’t have to know exactly where you want to end up when you begin.
Always More to Learn
Mentors and coworkers have played an important role in helping me develop the skills and confidence to be successful in my career. At the same time, there are some lessons you can only learn by working through them yourself. Both have taught me that a willingness to learn is simply not optional for a successful career in any industry.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is not to be afraid of what you don’t already know. Land development rarely goes exactly according to plan. Projects often involve unexpected conditions, changing requirements and decisions that can’t always be taught or necessarily predicted and planned for.
The goal isn’t to have every answer before a problem occurs. It’s to have the knowledge, resources and confidence to work through it when it does. And trying to be the smartest person in any room is like stamping your seal on a set of plans that will never get approved: it looks official, but it gets you nowhere. And worse, it keeps you from learning what might actually propel your career forward.
Engineering Is About People, Too
As a Project Manager at EHRA Engineering, I lead a team of six, and as a leader, I have learned that there are different ways to grow in engineering. Some people excel in steady growth within the technical side of engineering, while others may find that management and leadership are a better fit.
For me, leadership has been a natural path because I enjoy working with people. Early in my career, I considered myself timid and shy. Over time, I realized how important communication and relationships are to engineering. Success depends not only on technical knowledge, but also on how well you work with your team, clients and coordinating agencies.
Understanding your strengths helps guide you to the right path for your career. As a leader, it is my responsibility to try and understand the strengths of each person on my team so we can work effectively together.
My advice to any young professional is to ask questions, listen to those with more experience, build relationships and remain open to learning. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. You just have to be willing to learn from the people in it.
