By Wendy Presler, P.E., M.ASCE
I wish I’d known coming out of graduate school how unprepared and inexperienced I actually was in the field of geotechnical engineering. This was especially so in terms of the subsurface conditions and geology of the region where I was working. At that time, my employer was a midsized multidisciplinary design firm in Fairbanks, Alaska.
The firm had been incredibly supportive, investing time and resources in my growth and allowing me to expand the company’s services into geotechnical engineering. Although I was the only professional there with a passion for that field, I was confident I could figure it out on my own and grow the discipline.
With the help of outside consultants in other geographic markets, I dipped my toe into the ocean of geotechnical engineering. I developed my own tools in the form of online spreadsheets and rudimentary computer-aided design boring logs.
I quickly developed relationships with local drillers and even managed to obtain accreditation from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials for our soils laboratory.
But all the while, I worried that my inexperience might lead to a mistake that could have a devastating outcome. So, after four years of wrestling with my conscience, trying to be worthy of the confidence that was bestowed on me, I made the difficult decision to transition to the Fairbanks office of a different company, one specializing in geotechnical engineering.
It was quickly obvious that I had made the right decision for myself, and equally important, for my earlier employer. I never realized how little I had known and how desperately I had needed mentoring.
Today, after working on hundreds of geotechnical projects, I have a deep understanding of our regional geology and subsurface conditions, the nature of permafrost and the effects climate change is having on frozen ground, and the code requirements and standards of care for geotechnical engineers.
I will forever be grateful to my earlier employer for everything they did for me, but I sure wish I had known then what I know now.
Wendy Presler, P.E., M.ASCE, is a senior associate and geotechnical engineer with Shannon & Wilson.
This article first appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of Civil Engineering as “Wish I'd Known.”
