What does it take to succeed in your specific industry? In one word, “thinking.” In geotechnical engineering we deal with site conditions that vary regionally to variable across a site. When subsurface conditions change, it’s not a simple solution to manage or engineer, you can’t just look it up in a book. You have to think about the most appropriate solution, how to implement it, cost & schedule impacts, etc. In my career as a consultant and contracting, the people that really stand out have been those that were willing to take a step back and think through a problem to solve it logically.
What led you to your current profession? The simple answer is “dirt.” I grew up on a family-owned farm, I realized I never wanted to be a farmer, so I took the first interesting job I could find in a big city; which was a geotechnical laboratory technician with an engineering consulting firm (CDM Smith). I never knew what geotechnical engineering was before working in the lab, from there I had the opportunity to explore the career more. With encouragement from friends, I went on to Tufts University to get my masters of engineering, and now work as a geotechnical project manager.
What are the top 3 items on your bucket list?
- Ride motorcycles across South Africa or some other interesting destination
- Be in Sydney Australia for New Years to watch the fireworks over the Sydney bridge
- Playing goalie for the Bruins (even at a practice)
What are you doing when you aren’t working? Spending time with my family and planning our next adventure.
