True Life: I’m a Civil Engineering Graduate, Now What?

Featured Guest Blogger: William Merunka

Follow me on my journey to become a great engineer.

Let’s connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/williammerunka

This time of the year is one that I hold very close to my heart.  Four years ago my name was called and I walked across the stage and grabbed that piece of paper that I and so many other people have worked so hard for.  That piece of paper was my College Diploma, and the feeling that filled me up when it touched my hand was incredible.  It was not the piece of paper that I was excited for, it was the end of a challenging journey, which was symbolized by the piece of paper.  I was ready to enter the real world and help solve the world’s problems while being an active member of the Civil Engineering industry.  While the past 4 years have not gone as I had imagined they would as I walked across that stage, I have learned a lot of valuable lessons and would not trade the experience in for anything.

If you asked me 4 years ago what I would be doing in 2010, I would have said “working towards my PE license and making a difference in the world.”  One of the major lessons I learned after graduation, is that things do not always go the way you envision them to go.  While this may be disappointing at first, when you look at the big picture, it’s not so bad.  Just because we may stray from the paved road, it does not mean we are a failure.  Each of us needs to go out there and create our own paths, some may be on mapped roads, and some may be in the open country.

While the economy is not the best right now, and jobs are hard to come by, the one thing that you can never forget is that ultimately you have control of your career, how far you get and where it takes you.  In today’s current market, it is important to keep an open mind.  Just because something doesn’t go the way you think it should, or it’s not done the way you were taught in college does not automatically make it wrong.  Whatever position you are in, always look for the positive side and think about what you can learn from it.  How can this unwanted position or task help you reach your ultimate goals?  For example, my goal is to become a great engineer, who people rely on and call on to solve challenging problems.  I also want to mentor younger engineers, which from my experience, there seems to be a disconnection from older engineers, and the younger engineers trying to get in the field.  In my current position, I am not working for an engineering company, and my work consists mainly on project approvals from property management companies and dealing with client warranty issues.  In this position, I have learned to work with a myriad of coworkers and clients, and have also learned how to better manage my time to get everything done.  At first, it may appear that my position has nothing to do with my goal, but it does.  The client and management interaction skills, coupled with my time management skills will help me greatly once I’m in the engineering field working directly with clients.  I will be able to effectively communicate with the clients as well as municipal officials, while also finding a solution to the problem at hand. 

At times, you will not be able to see how your current situation will help your career.  It is at these moments that you need to step back and look at the situation as an outsider.  Often times we have so much going on that we seem to only focus on the now.  We need to keep our minds open and look at the bigger picture, and see how all parts of your life combine to finish the puzzle.
The other thing that you need to remember is that it is your career and ultimately your actions and decisions will make or break it.  Don’t do things just because somebody tells you that you should do it.  Take control of your career and believe in yourself.  I would like to finish by saying congratulations to the Class of 2010 and welcome to the real world.  I look forward to working alongside you and reading about the wonderful things that you accomplish on a professional and personal level.

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• A Day in the Life of an Engineer – The Decisions We Make
• Helping the Younger Engineering Generation, How Can I Get Involved?
• Starting an Engineering Company Today Can Be Like Driving Into Death Valley