Interview in Civil Engineering

I interviewed William Easterling from Shaw, Stone and Webster. He is a structural engineer that handles many daily activities that include “deliverables” such as calculations and specifications as well as front end activities such as research of the design basis for existing projects. The types of communication that he uses range from design drawings to proposals. He says “Organized, thoughtful communication is a key component of my work as a structural engineer. I would say that proposal writing is where I’ve benefited most from my writing skills.” He works for a consulting company and the first job they have is to present their clients with information about the service that is to be delivered. This is an extremely important step in the process because it sets up the company for a failure or success of the project. A good proposal writer will turn an idea into a money making endeavor. Being a well-rounded engineer depends on the ability to develop your communication skills as well as the scientific aspect of the job. If the information about any aspect of the project has a discrepancy or is unclear the client could go elsewhere.
In the beginning of your career as an engineer your communications skills are called upon constantly. Whether it is writing specifications or drawing notes to explain to a fabricator how a building should be constructed. Doing these tasks over and over will help to develop attention to detail and help you “see” the construction process of the structure in your mind. Depending on the intensity of your work you could be doing many drawings or responding to questions from contractors, so being able to effectively and intelligently express the information is a valuable and mandatory skill. He recommended working with organizations that participate in design and presentation competitions, such as the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineer’s) Carolina’s Conference. They participate in steel bridge and concrete canoe competitions which help build team working skills. Communicating with your teammates and the judges is similar to communicating with your co-workers. You have to let them know what tasks that you will be completing and maybe even help them find way to make their job easier.
The interview was very helpful in letting me know what I would have to deal with in my future career as well as in life in general. Being able to communicate your feelings or ideas to people is a very important tool that can be utilized in many facets of life.