The road to a civil engineering career can seem daunting.
Heavy courseloads and the expectation to take a traditional education path can be intimidating, especially when not everyone has the means to take on the intensity and expenses that come with a four-year degree and beyond.
There is definitely more than one way to become a civil engineer, but engineering firms can struggle to reach interested people outside the standard bubble.
So how can these firms rethink their talent outreach? In a recent post on ASCE Collaborate, Mitchell Winkler, P.E., M.ASCE, suggested that they “change the message,” and community members responded with their thoughts on the matter.
Find out below what three civil engineers think could help engineering firms connect with new talent.
Mark Woodson, P.E., L.S., Pres.16.ASCE
Project director at Ardurra; Flagstaff, Arizona
“What I learned and what I've tried to help young people with is that the four-year university degree may not be the best path for all right out of high school. The community college path was more affordable, and I was able to work full-time while taking a few classes each semester.
“The extra benefit was that the work I was doing was all relative and helped me tremendously when I graduated with my Bachelor of Science because I already had many years of relative work experience. Whenever I get a chance, I try to explain to the young people I get to talk to that there are different paths and we all should look at our options. As I've tried to over the years, we need to talk to our youth in high school and let them know the options available. For me, it certainly wasn't a standard four-year degree pathway.”
William Wallace, F.ASCE
Engineer and educator; Wilsonville, Oregon
“Having worked in the civil engineering industry for 30+ years, it seems that the message we're giving to potential civil engineers is, ‘yeah, the math and science are hard, but when you finish, you get to build really cool stuff.’ That message may work for some, but the opportunities for the rank-and-file civil engineer to ‘build really cool stuff’ are limited.
“One reason I say this is because when I was active in Engineers Without Borders-USA, we experienced a surge of interest from practicing civil engineers to participate in projects to help poor communities in other countries – seemingly a break from having to work on yet again another road or sewer design. They were providing affordable fresh water, sanitation, electricity, and mobility to people in need.
“Today, we have a new message that’s also really cool. Become a civil engineer, and you get to overhaul the civil engineering discipline. Climate change has made the current static climate-related standards and practices unreliable. Now, we have to plan, design, and build civil infrastructure that can withstand extreme climate and weather events. We need to refurbish our nation’s infrastructure to make it more resilient.”
Cliff Davidson, F.ASCE
Professor at Syracuse University; Syracuse, New York
“Climate change is one of the most important changes we are already experiencing. But change in general is going to be an important factor for all engineers. Progress toward improved diversity, equity, and inclusion and changes in politics, international relations, public health concerns, and human influence on the planet overall are all opportunities for those entering engineering to make a difference.
“Not only are the pathways to enter engineering becoming more diverse, but the ways engineers can help the world are becoming more diverse, and the knowledge engineers need is becoming more diverse. Lifelong learning is key. Thus, one of the most important things we can do is to improve our education system at all levels.
“Countless exciting opportunities exist for young people to take an interest in engineering today, and we need more engineers to face the accelerating changes in front of us. We must keep publicizing these opportunities.”
