Career Path of an Engineer In Training Construction Inspector at RockSol Consulting Group
Aidan's career path began with a civil engineering major at Cal Poly, an internship at a geotechnical consulting firm solidified their preference for field work over office work, leading to their current role as an Engineer In Training 1 at RockSol Consulting Group in the transportation construction industry; the internship provided "a pretty wide breadth of what they had me doing," allowing them to discover a preference for field work and ultimately influencing their career direction.
Career Exploration, Internships, Field Work, Geotechnical Engineering, Transportation Construction
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Aidan McCoy
Engineer In Training 1 (Construction Inspector)
RockSol Consulting Group
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
n/a
Engineering - Civil
Architecture, Construction & Design
Real Estate
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Aidan's internship at a geotechnical consulting firm exposed him to both office work (plan reviews) and field work (construction inspection and materials testing), helping him realize his preference for field work.
2. His decision to choose a job based on the work environment (field work in Colorado) rather than solely on the specific engineering discipline demonstrates the importance of considering work-life preferences when selecting a career path.
3. Aidan's involvement in the California Geotechnical Club (Cal Geo), while not directly impacting his career path, highlights the value of extracurricular activities and community involvement in networking and skill development within the field of engineering.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path? Please start with your experiences in college, and any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
When I first got to college, I was in the civil engineering major at Cal Poly SLO. I didn't quite know where I wanted to go with that, as I didn't have any experience in high school. So I just took all the required classes.
Right around junior year, I was taking some geotechnical engineering classes, which I really liked. I ended up getting an internship that summer at a geotechnical consulting firm.
At the firm, I had a pretty wide breadth of responsibilities. I was either working in the office doing plan reviews, which is looking at construction plans and making sure they're correct, or I was in the field inspecting construction or testing materials like concrete or dirt.
This internship gave me a chance to see what I liked and what I didn't. I realized I liked working in the field a lot better than in the office. That was the first sort of kick in a certain direction for my career.
After that, I started my senior year and took more geotechnical engineering classes, as that's what my internship had been in and what I was interested in at the time. However, I knew I wanted a job that got me out in the field and less so in the office.
Senior year went on, and I was looking for a job. I was interested in working in Colorado. Luckily, through a connection at my previous internship, I got an interview with the company I currently work at, Rock Salt Consulting Group.
I interviewed for a job in the transportation construction industry, rather than the geotechnical industry, which all my previous classes had been centered around. The transportation job involved a lot more fieldwork and was in Colorado, which was a big motivator for me.
So, I decided to trust my gut and go with a job that matched what I thought I wanted to do, rather than the specific type of engineering. That's how I ended up in the transportation construction industry, following the lead from that internship which gave me an idea of the work environment I wanted.
Outside of that internship and job, I was in one engineering-related club: the California Geotechnical Club, or Cal Geo for short. I worked on a project team where we competed in San Diego during the spring of my senior year.
That club experience was more about giving back to the community and helping younger students learn about the geotechnical side of things. I wouldn't say the club directly affected my career path, but that was how I got to where I am now.
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