Civil Engineer Interview

I interviewed John Hamby, a Civil Engineer, specializing in structures. One of my professors got me in contact with him, since he is a recent graduate from Clemson. He also received his MS from Clemson. Hamby is currently working for Kimley-Horn in Raleigh, NC. Kimley-Horn provides a wide range of consulting services to public and private clients for roadways and bridges, land developments, traffic signals, water/sewer systems, airports, landscape architecture, transit systems. When asked the kind of document he typically writes, he responded by saying, "I've been involved in writing project specifications (parking structures), multi-phased feasibility studies, structural condition assessment reports, construction documents, many job specific e-mails, in general we also use technical writing for contract preparation (letter agreements) specifically when defining an accurate project scope." He also mentioned that he used technical writing on a "weekly basis." He said that writing is important to CE's because, "CE's are technical by nature therefore our reports and client services must reflect the project specificity in the reports and construction documents." I also asked him if he took a technical writing course at Clemson and he responded by saying, "Yes, I took ENG 314 and I'm sure that it has had a positive impact on my writing skills." I also asked him if he had published anything and he had not. He also told me that pursuing a Masters degree is very helpful when trying to find a job in the Civil Engineering field.