Career Path of a Senior Project Manager at John A Martin And Associates
Adena's career path began with community college, followed by UCLA for civil engineering, and then a Master's at Berkeley, all while securing internships at firms like KPFF and John A Martin & Associates (JAMA). This culminated in a nine-year progression at JAMA, starting as a structural designer, achieving professional engineering (PE) and structural engineering (SE) licenses, and ultimately leading to their current role as a Senior Project Manager, marked by increasing responsibility and promotions.
Project Management, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Career Development, Professional Licensing
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Adena Geiger
Sr project manager
John A Martin & Associates
UCLA 2013
UC Berkeley masters of science
Engineering - Civil
Architecture, Construction & Design
Operations and Project Management
Scholarship Recipient, Immigrant, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Adena's career progression from community college to a senior project manager role showcases the value of internships and further education. She emphasizes the importance of gaining practical experience through internships at firms like KPFF and John A Martin & Associates, which eventually led to full-time employment.
2. Adena's journey highlights the significance of professional licensure. Becoming a Professional Engineer (PE) and then a Structural Engineer (SE) significantly boosted her career trajectory, opening doors to project management roles and increased responsibilities.
3. The interview underscores the diverse opportunities available within civil engineering, from structural design to project management. Adena's experience working on various projects, including schools, hospitals, and data centers, demonstrates the breadth of challenges and applications within this field.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
I started community college when I first moved to the United States. I'm an immigrant, Armenian, born and raised in Iran. I did two and a half years at community college, then transferred to UCLA.
After two years at UCLA, I graduated with a degree in civil engineering. This led me into structural engineering, which is what I'm doing now. I had an internship in my third year of college at a structural design firm called KPF.
After graduating, I got another internship at my current firm, Jama. I did this over the summer and a little before, as I graduated in the winter. I then applied to and attended grad school at Berkeley.
My grad program was also in civil engineering with a focus on structural engineering, called their STEM program. It was a one-year, full-time program. After grad school, I returned to my current employer, Jama, with whom I had interned.
I also had other internships and relevant jobs during community college. I interned at JPL, though I was still figuring out which kind of engineering I wanted to pursue. I also worked as a tutor and reader at both community college and UCLA.
Additionally, I worked as a waitress at community college. However, it wasn't until the end of my junior year that I found a job directly in my field of study.
When I started at Jama, almost nine years ago, I began as a structural designer, a typical entry-level role for a structural engineer. I worked on designing various buildings, mainly schools and hospitals, and later data centers.
Our work involved performing structural engineering calculations for earthquake and gravity loads for buildings designed by architects. We would then analyze these designs for those loads.
I grew in my role, taking on more responsibilities. I passed the professional engineering exam to become a PE. This is typically done one or two years after grad school or undergrad.
After three more years, in California, you become qualified to take the SE, Structural Engineering Exam. Passing this exam qualifies you to stamp drawings for schools and hospitals. As a PE, you can stamp drawings for other types of buildings.
Becoming an SE also moves you up in your career, opening more opportunities and building trust. After I got my SE in late 2020, I was promoted to project manager in May 2021. I was then promoted to senior project manager in 2022, which is my current role.