From the time I enrolled in the college of engineering, I expected a linear career path from school to work to successful career. Few engineers follow such a direct path. Contributor Rachel Cantor Fogarty is back to offer another perspective on career choices based on her favorite Robert Frost poem. See Rachel’s previous post about How to Find Employers that Respect and Reward their Employees.

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“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.”  This is the first line from my favorite Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken.”  When making important choices in life or at work I often think about this poem, as each choice is a juncture and has the potential to make all the difference.   How does one figure out some of the different “roads” that engineers might take in their careers and the different options that you might consider when facing decisions in the workplace?  Let’s start by taking a general outlook on how to define which career path might be right for you.

After attending a grueling 4 (or in many cases 5-6+ years) of an engineering degree program, many engineers are excited to get a job and use some of the newly gained tools from engineering school in the field.  Often in this excitement, some career path options may get overlooked, which can have dramatic effects on what career opportunities may come along.  A first job in one’s career, if carefully considered and wisely chosen, may begin to define a lifelong career path. This is not to say that you won’t be able to make minor tweaks, adjustments, or even major changes along the way based on changing interests or market demands.  It is important to start thinking about and defining these decisions early on, since knowing those decisions can help you to make better choices.  So as a young professional facing so many opportunities, which road is the best one to choose?

Luckily, you will not have to make an instant decision on which road to start running down. Here you have the option of time to start molding your career towards the things that you enjoy doing.  Even after starting a job, you should be continuously working on understanding the things you enjoy doing, which will help you further understand which path will make the difference for you.  So let’s start walking down the path at a leisurely stroll.

To begin, I recommend pulling out a notebook and a pencil and start making a list.  Create two columns a “likes” and a “dislikes” column.  Under the “likes” column, start writing down everything that you can think of that you enjoy doing, including things from both your professional and personal life. Now repeat in the “dislike” column. You may want to keep this list handy, as the more you can add to it the clearer your understanding will be, and the easier those choices are to make on which path is right for you.

After creating a pretty comprehensive list, go through and start grouping the “likes” and “dislikes” into broad categories that make sense together. For example, enjoys social settings, leading large groups, and going to conferences might fall into a similar category. If possible, try and name each grouping and generalize a title for each grouping. In the example I just gave I could name this grouping “extroverted.” There is no right or wrong way to this. The purpose of this exercise is to help you to define your own likes and dislikes to heighten your awareness of it for the decision making process.

After the list has been categorized and sorted, look at each title grouping and think about where most of your likes and dislikes are listed. Pull out a new piece of paper and write down grouping titles where most of your likes and dislikes fall under. In following my previous example, if you had 5+ likes under extroverted I would make sure and include this under your new list.

Keep this list handy and work on it over the next few months and define the traits best suited for the different paths in your career. This list is used to help define which career path you may be best suited for.

The best advice is to be honest with yourself on the things that you enjoy doing, and this goes regardless of whether you are just beginning your journey or if you are in the middle of it.  If you find that your choices have not lead you down a path that is suited to your personality and skill set, it is time to make choices that will lead you down a different path.  This is how you determine your own destiny.

Keep this list accessible as having a clear understanding of your own likes, dislikes, and desired career direction come in particularly handy during review time.  I recommend using these traits to talk to your boss about where you see your career heading. Using the earlier example, once you are able to clearly communicate that you prefer interacting with clients all day instead of sitting in front of a computer doing production work, you will find that opportunities for this sort of thing become more noticeable.  And of course, don’t be afraid to step outside the norm and follow your passions down a road that may not be traditional or well worn.  As long as you are heading towards your passions, you will know you are on the right path.  As Robert Frost points out as he ends his poem, the road less traveled can make all the difference.

Rachel Cantor Fogarty is President of RC Associates, an engineering recruiting firm, which provides retained recruiting services to growing engineering companies nationwide. For more information visit www.rcassociatesllc.com or contact Rachel at Rachel@rcassociatesllc.com or 813-286-2075.

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Tags: careers, Decision making, Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

Frequent contributor Rafael Gomes de Oliveira just finished answering a survey about more education requirements for professional licensure and the raising the bar initiative. He was quite taken aback by the implicit assumptions that more education is the solution to raising the bar for the profession. An entrepreneur with a bachelor’s degree, Rafael offers an interesting perspective on educating engineers and advancing the profession.

The opinions expressed below in no way reflect ASCE’s positions on Raising the Bar. You can read all about ASCE’s raising the bar initiate here (http://www.asce.org/PPLContentWide.aspx?id=23622321861) and here (http://www.raisethebarforengineering.org/)

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To whom it may concern:

Here is a copy of my comment after your survey about additional education requirements for professional licensure and the raising the bar initiative:

First of all, the questions and answers are really biased toward implementing the new master’s degree requirement. That makes the survey very weak and unbalanced, and it would be very difficult to express a contrary opinion based on what was given. This is very upsetting because this is a serious issue that can have huge impacts on the lives of future structural engineers and on the profession as a whole, and it’s too bad that a fair and balanced survey was not achieved through this effort. I would actually like to see this redone to give engineers a better chance to express their opinion clearly and not through a distorted filter.

What we need is better education, not more education. This starts before students reach the university. The U.S. is so lucky to have a system that allows students to take higher level classes before going to college. I know several people who had taken their Math and Physics and Chemistry classes all while still in high school. I am from Brazil and here we are not given that option. Education is the same standard for almost everyone and people who can learn at a faster pace are held back and people who can learn at a slower pace are left behind. If you want better structural engineers, start there, through more outreach programs such as ACE and Future City. Give students the chance to be aware of what it takes to be a structural engineer, and allow them to take the responsibility to acquire the necessary skills – not through formal education only – but through an attitude towards self-learning and life-long learning.

What is an education? And what is a structural engineering education? How many people drop out of formal schooling and are still able to have successful lives and make significant contributions to their fields? This is not the standard, but that’s the attitude we need to nurture not only for structural engineering, but for all areas of knowledge. What makes a good engineer is not only the amount of time she/he spends learning, but the quality of that time.

What kind of a message will you be sending future engineers? “We don’t think you are capable of handling the responsibility of learning the necessary skills on your own, so instead of improving the current system starting from early education, we will add a couple more years to your required education and without this you won’t be able to practice as a professional engineer.”

Trust me, if a 4-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited school, the FE exam, 4 years of experience, and the PE/SE exam are not enough, a couple of extra years will not suddenly turn disengaged students into stellar engineers. In fact, students who were already disengaged are way more likely to burn out and perform poorly if two more years of school are added to their curriculum.

We do not need MORE EDUCATION. We need MORE EARLY ENGAGEMENT and BETTER EDUCATION. We need to teach students how to learn on their own and develop a passion and personal responsibility for their careers as stewards of the built environment. Sure it might sound ideal and even naive to have such high hopes, but why shoot for less? “Shoot for the moon. If you fail then you will land on the stars.”

More education is the easy way out. All of this and I haven’t even mentioned the amount of debt that the students will acquire during those two additional years. I don’t want my fellow engineers to be wage slaves. I want them to have the freedom to take risks and fight for the betterment of our profession, and not have their most important life decisions bounded by fear from their gargantuan student debt.

This is coming from someone who is going to pursue his master’s degree next year. I’m doing it because I love engineering and the built environment and I want to do world changing significant research, not because it is required.

Now, if you think nurturing that passion in all engineers is too high of an expectation and we need to produce more technically competent mediocre engineers who are drowning in debt and who will take on any job to barely survive while making universities and corporations more money, then be honest and say that. Don’t try to blame it on the profession being more complex or on other professions having higher status because they spend more time in school. If anything, this proposal weakens our community culture and diminishes our dignity as human beings. This goes for all fields of knowledge and all professions.

Again, I hope a new survey comes out with questions and answers that are more fair and balanced. If not, then why have a survey at all if you already chose the answer to your own question. And why raise the bar when you can barely stand on your own two feet? If worldwide engineering education needs to be improved, let’s tackle it early on where it matters, not where it benefits other parties’ interests and takes away our individual responsibility to be competent.

Better Education does not equal More Education

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Tags: ace mentor, Education, fe exam, future city, Masters Degree, professional engineer, raising the bar

My apologies for the long layoff between posts. March was an extremely busy month for me, including three very trying and tiring workweeks bookended by a great ski vacation in Colorado and the purchase of a new home in suburban Chicago. Amid all of that I’ve been contemplating how much knowledge is required to thrive in today’s fast-paced world.

I had forgotten how stressful it is to purchase a home. In the competitive Chicago market, just making it to an open house before the home goes under contract can be considered a victory. Just when we were about to give up on our home search, we found the perfect place. We knew we had to act fast and made an offer two days before the open house hoping to beat the crowds. Would they sellers accept our offer? Not at first… stressing out… Finally we had an agreement.

Then the work began. Sign up the lawyer to review the contract. Arrange for the home inspection. Oh, the roof needs to be replaced… get a quote from a roofer. Find a homeowner;s insurance company. Assemble the financial documentation needed for the mortgage application. Fortunately, we’re working with some real professionals, but there are still many decision to be made. And one home-buying experience 8 years ago hardly makes an expert.

Unfortunately, work hasn’t been a reprieve from difficult decision making. As I outlined back in February this job is hard since a recent promotion and my large project started construction. I’ve also recently taken on other projects outside my comfort zone, including one that required extensive research into water-proofing systems from the 1980s. Another project required a co-worker and myself to research seismic detailing for light gauge steel braces.

The breadth of knowledge required of my colleagues and I prompted us to create a skill set checklist. We could use this to identify who to staff on certain projects and where to find help with particular issues. We tried not to list any of the common lessons taught in university courses. In less than an hour of contemplation, I identified almost 100 topics. Here’s my unabridged and certainly incomplete list:

Steel: composite steel framing, composite columns, crane rails, castellated beams, girder slab, base plates, uniform force method, cover plating, embed plates, pre-engineered buildings, space frames, AESS, torsion, bracing for stability, fracture. Concrete: slender columns, flat slab, waffle slab, shearwalls, link beams, industrial SOG, PT, external post tensioning, precast tees, hollow-core plank, precast shearwalls, tilt-up, concrete anchors, structural plain concrete, FRP. Wood: joist framing, glulam, LVL, sheathing, decking, stud walls, wood shearwalls, rafters, wood truss, bowstring truss, dowel connectors, shear rings, mortis and tenon, SIPs, timber frame construction, CLT. Masonry: steel lintels, precast lintels, slender walls, shearwalls, URM, masonry anchors, brick veneer. Other materials: cold-formed steel, open we joists, aluminum, unistrut, strawbale construction. Archaic systems: clay-tile arch, concrete joists, Cofar, Filigrie, riveted connections, rubble wall, adobe. Foundations: retaining wall, cantilever retaining wall, spread footing, combined footing, caissons, piles, pile caps, mat foundation, timber piles, pole footings. Software: RISA, RAM, ETABS, SAP, SAFE, Enercalc, PCA Column, TEKLA, Revit, Microstation. Loads & Performance: Seismic, Wind ASCE 7 analytical procedure, wind tunnel dynamics, flag pole loading, ASCE 7 snow, ice accumulation, loads for temporary structures, ponding, flood, vibration, fire, second order effects, rebar corrosion and inhibitors, blast.

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Tags: home purchasing, mortgage, skills, Structural Engineering

Updates from ASCE conferences are a mainstay of this blog and for good reason. Whether attending a specialty congress or the the annual conference, attendees leave with more than the obligatory CE credits that these gatherings offer. Meeting with peers and leaders from the profession can be invigorating. Anyone can attend an ASCE conference, and there is something for everyone – particularly younger members.

Frequent contributor, Rafael Gomes de Oliveira wrote about his first Structures Congress experience in 2011. A fortunate seat assignment on his flight to Las Vegas paired him with another civil engineer. By leveraging that chance encounter to meet more structural engineers, Rafael was able to land his dream internship. A year later, Rafael returned to Chicago for the 2012 Structures Congress. After a year of job experience, the technical sessions made an even greater impact, and Rafael reinforced the friendships made a year earlier. I have shared similar experiences throughout my ASCE career. In all, I’ve been to more than 10 conferences and made countless friends from around the country.

This year’s Structures Congress will be held in Pittsburgh, which also hosted the 158th Annual ASCE Conference in 2008. The main session of the 2013 Structures Congress will be held May 2-4. However, pre-conference seminars on Wednesday, May 1st will feature “New Essentials for your Sustainability Toolkit,” and “Design of Bridges for Accelerated Bridge Construction.”

The organizers of this year’s Structures Congress are making a concerted effort to encourage participation by younger members. Thursday and Friday feature special events for members 35 and younger.

• 7:00 AM, 5/2 – Meet the Leaders Breakfast will provide an opportunity to meet SEI and industry leaders
• 10:00 AM, 5/2 – Technical Session: Soft Skills for the Young Engineer
• 5:30 PM, 5/2 – Young Professional Mixer, enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages
• 8:30 AM, 5/3 – Technical Session: The structural engineering profession from a young professional’s perspective: Diversity, Challenges, and Retention
• 12:00 PM, 5/3 – Young Professional’s Luncheon.

Registration is still available at the “advanced” rate. Visit the 2013 Structures Congress Website for full details and registration.

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Tags: ASCE, structures congress, younger members

This past weekend my wife and I took a short vacation to Galena, IL to practice our snowboarding in advance an upcoming trip to Colorado. We were encouraged by friends who recommended Chestnut Mountain, a reasonable 3.5 hour drive from downtown Chicago. Apparently, we were among the last Chicagoans to learn about this favorite getaway.

Chestnut Mountain offered 22 groomed trails down a riverside bluff to the mighty Mississippi. Though the trails could only be described as a light warmup to the Rockies, the vista was every bit a reflection of nature’s awesomeness. The lifts had short lines, and the price was right. The resort offered more than we expected.

View of the Mississippi from Chestnut Mountain

Downtown Galena was also a pleasant surprise. The town offers a rare glance into the past. Much of historic downtown Galena remains unchanged from the mid-1800s, save the major conversion to automobile traffic. The history of the city’s preservation began in the 1840s and 50s when a series of significant fires devastated the ramshackle wooded structures of the mining town’s business district. Ordinances followed which required robust wood and masonry construction. Galena boasts the oldest residence in the State. The Dowling House was constructed on 1826 with limestone block and served as a trading post for many years.

Dowling House, Galena

For many decades the city flourished because of nearby lead mining operations and their ability to ship their product down the Galena River to the Mississippi. Galena reached a population of 14,000 and even attracted Ulysses S. Grant and his family to reside there before and after the Civil War. Upon his triumphant return from war, Grant was presented with a new Italianate brick home in 1865 by enthusiastic local supporters. Perched on a hill opposite the Galena River from the downtown business district, Grant had one of the best views in town. The home has been open to the public since 1904.

U.S. Grant’s Home

Shortly after the Civil War, Galena and the Nation faced an economic depression. Over time the lead trade slowed as well. Galena was hit worse by economic events than most cities and never recovered. Fortunately for the preservation of the old downtown, few investors had the means to tear down or otherwise modernize the old structures. As early as the 1930s, Galena was well positioned as a tourist destination for the newly mobile middle class of Chicago looking for a place to drive their new automobiles.

Galena River and Flood Wall

Inundation of the Galena River remained a risk through the years. Fortunately, no major flooding occurred during the city’s golden age of development. In 1937 a series flood swept through the city. Fortunately, preservation of the city was now an important concern of local and national interests. The Corps of Engineers constructed a flood wall with flood gates on the banks of the Galena River. With assurances that no more floods would damage the first floor retail, downtown proprietors could invest more in upgrading the streetscape.

The town fortunately survived ill-conceived an plans for “urban renewal” in the form of a department store and supermarket. Instead the town managed to pass a preservation ordinance to encourage accurate restoration of buildings. Much of Galena was included in the National Register of Historic Places. Galena is  pleasant surprise – a city that has beaten the odds to preserve it’s historic architecture and character.

Main Street, Galena

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Tags: Chestnut Mountain, Galena, Galena River, Mississippi, National Register of Historic Places, Ulysses S. Grant

One of my favorite Saturday Night Live sketches featured Will Farrel playing President George Bush. The neophyte President immediately finds himself besieged by dire threats ranging from thermal nuclear war to alien invasion. As the windows in the West Wing depict a post-apocalyptic landscape, the President can only exclaim, “this job is hard!” Eventually, George H.W. Bush (Dana Carvey) appears and starts to set things straight.

I think the episode aired about when I began grad school. At the time, I felt similarly overwhelmed by some of my advanced level courses. Taking a full course load including the theory of linear algebra and the theory of material plasticity pushed me past my comfort zone. I often joked with my roommates, “grad school is hard!” Eventually, I found my footing in those courses and benefited greatly from the course work of my Master’s degree. I graduated with an abundance of confidence in my analytical abilities. The start of my career required another adjustment, but I rarely questioned my abilities. I knew that I could solve most analytical problems with time and research in the right manuals. I gained more confidence over the years.

However, by the beginning of last year I was taking on more management roles within my group. Then, with the departure of one of my mentors and a promotion to follow, I made another career jump. All of a sudden, “this job is hard again!” Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining. I actually find these new challenges to be exhilarating. I sometimes feel on the verge of being in over my head, but walking that line has made my job feel new again.

The technical challenges didn’t change much, but now I feel more responsibility for delivering the project on time, in budget, and to happy clients. I have to write fee proposals for new jobs and find ways to grow my presence in the industry so that I too can one day bring work to the company. Each month, I’m asked to approve billings for my projects, and when they don’t pay, I have to call to request payment. I can’t do it all alone, but that also means I have to manage my team. All of these tasks require different skills, and few of these issues were covered in school.

In a typical week, I’ll work on a half-dozen or so different projects. Some jobs will just be taking off while others are heavy into construction.  It’s sometimes hard to keep the projects straight. On more than a couple occasions, I’ve sent an email about one project to the wrong client. As the point person on most of my projects, I’m copied on almost all project email, and my phone is the first to ring. Some days I spend all my time just responding to email, answering voicemail, and dialing into conference calls.

It’s best to have at least one large project in the mix. I’ve been tending an adaptive reuse project at the University of Chicago for the past two years. I know the project inside and out, but now that its under construction we’re discovering lots of unexpected conditions. I know as we go forward and deal with these conditions on the fly, that I’ll have to take responsibility for having safe, constructable, and economical solutions. In the past, a manager would have given me the basic constraints and had me run the calcs. Now I try to anticipate the solution before an engineers starts running through the limit states. Communicating the solution to the construction team and owner is yet another challenge.

It strikes me that the basic engineering calculations that caused me grief in school are now my last refuge of comfort. I can’t imagine a time when I’ll have everything figured out again. That’s all right, Dealing with all of these challenges makes my day go by extremely fast. I suppose that’s one measure of an invigorating job. This job is hard, and I like it that way!

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Tags: Saturday Night Live, structural consulting

I’ve recently been offering my advice to some young engineers via the ASCE Career Mentoring program. Below are some questions from people at various stages of their job search.

Still Searching in Pleasant Hope, MO asks: I have had difficulty selling my skills effectively to potential employers. I wasn’t able to land an internship while in college, so I graduated with no real world experience outside of my senior design project. I graduated with a B.S. in civil engineering, but have yet to find employment in my field. While I’m pretty sure I would be happiest in the structural field, at this point, I’m not even all that concerned with what field of civil engineering I get a first job in.

Advice: Congratulations on your graduation. I know it’s a very competitive job market, and I have to be honest that finding a job without a Master’s degree is going to be tough, particularly in structures. Contractors on the other hand do often hire people with bachelors’ degrees. If you’re not set on structures, and can’t get back to school, then your best chance of employment may be with a construction manager. Another good place to get experience is as a technician for a testing company. However, there again, the career engineers will often have graduate degrees.

I think another thing working against you is your stated openness to any career path. When interviewing, I look for candidates that are wholly committed to structures, and even more specifically to the investigation and restoration type of work that we do. It’s too bad that your college experience didn’t lead you in one particular direction. I’d also encourage you to reach out to other professionals to see what career is most appealing. See the previous blog: Setting a Clear Career Goal by Rafael Gomes de Oliveira.

Sweaty Palms in Confidence, CA asks: I’m not really sure what to expect or how to prepare for my job interview. Do you have any suggestions or advice?

Advice: Most importantly, just to be yourself. It’s actually rare to be tested on the technical skills you learned in school, so stop sweating. At the entry level employers want to know that a young engineer is adaptable, trainable, reliable, and a fit for their team. You’ll want to be confident, but don’t pretend to be a wiz in their field. Ask lots of questions and show that you’ve done some homework on what their firm does. Show interest in their work and ask specific project related questions if introduced to a particular project. See the previous blog post: Interview Questions for the Interviewee.

Also, ask to speak with other engineers at your level. Find out what it’s like working there day to day. If you make a good connection with your peers, they might put in a good word for you. They’ll just be looking for someone whom they will be able to work with and friendly enough to socialize with after hours.

Get a good night sleep and be bright eyed when you arrive.

Ready for Commitment in Romance, AK asks: I just received an offer, but after some research, it looks like this is below the average for the position. Should I try to negotiate for more? I’m hesitant because I don’t want them to withdraw their job offer. I’m worried about making a bad impression.

Advice: I think most employers will respect your request for higher pay, whether they negotiate or not. You’ve made it past the test, and they’re imagining all the ways that they can put you to work now. It’s a lot of work to interview and hire new employees. That’s your leverage. For more information about contract negotiation please see the previous blog: Contract Negotiation.

Benefits are definitely important too, but most hiring managers will not have the authority to negotiate those terms. If you receive a 401k match, that’s basically like a salary increase (in monies that you can’t spend until you retire). You may also want to get in writing the continuing education and professional activities reimbursement. I think these are important for advancing your career over time. If you have multiple offers this can be a differentiator between companies. Look for firms that will encourage career growth.

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Tags: Career, Employment, Interview, Job hunting, Job Search, Negotiation

Ever wonder how some actors can have a career-making year in which they seem to appear in every blockbuster. You wonder how they could have worked on so many projects at once. Well, they didn’t do it all in the year before, it can take years between filming and distribution. About two and a half years ago, I was approached by representatives from the National Academy of Sciences to be included in an online profile of scientists and engineers. They sent a camera crew to follow me for a week in order to produce a day in the life of a civil engineer. The video has just recently been posted on the NAS website.

In the weeks leading up to filming, the producer emailed often to find out about my hobbies and to encouraged me to schedule exciting site visits. He provided for example the profile that had been produced for Mechanical Engineer Nate Ball. I had actually met Nate some years prior while auditioning to be host of the PBS Kids program Design Squad. Nate was the obvious choice. He’s fit, photogenic, knows how to beat box, and invented a retractable grappling hook a la Batman. Just check out his Design Squad profile page. I knew I couldn’t compete with Nate, but I was determined to make a good showing for civil engineers everywhere.

Day one of the shoot began as any other. I was in the office at my normal time and worked on my backlog of projects until the receptionist called to announce I had guests. The crew comprised just three people: producer, cameraman and sound technician. They were real professionals. Although they tended to work as independent contractors, there was real harmony in how they worked together. The job of the cameraman and sound tech is pretty much as expected, but the producer had the job of playing quarterback for the production. He carried a portable screen that displayed a direct feed from the cameraman. The producer used this tool to visualize how the scene would look on screen.

We began the film shoot in the office. The producer wanted to start with some obligatory canned shots, like coming through the main door and saying hi to the receptionist and walking down the hallway. I really felt like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever as they filmed my confident gate down the hallway. I decided against any dance moves however. To get a smooth shot, they actually had the cameraman sit on a swivel chair pulled by the sound technician in front of me. We were quite the sight.

Other than the staged strutting, most of the office shots are pretty authentic. In a couple of scenes however, the producer re-seated some of my colleagues to emphasize for the camera the diversity of our office. I never realized how many meetings and conversations I have in a typical day. Most of the dialogue between my colleagues and me is real, although I may have articulated more thoughts than normal.

The last big shoot in the office was the interview. Again, the background was staged to provide something more visually interesting. I borrowed all the wind tunnel models I could find in the office and arranged them in the library to look like a hot shot designer. We filmed the interview in about 90 minutes, stopping only a couple of times for loud conversations elsewhere in the office. Although my comments come through as deliberate, I answered most questions off the top of my head.

We spent the next day finding any reason to leave the office and film me standing in front of cool buildings. Since there was only one camera, the producer frequently made us repeat activities, like getting out of a cab, so he could capture multiple angles. One particular trip to the Rookery building for a site visit involved circling the building three times to get all the right angles for a heroic arrival on site. The producer was really disappointed when the property manager forbid the camera crew to enter. We made do with some still photos to tell the story of our investigation of the historic structure’s roof. One of those photos was selected as the cover photo for my video on the website.

On one afternoon, we just walked through the Chicago loop district while I pointed out buildings that I had worked on. This included a few boat rides on the water taxi – the first and only time I taken that mode of transportation. My involvement in Chicago’s historic structures was typically just to provide engineering for new tenant build-outs, but pointing out all the buildings made for a good story line. That’s actually the reason I chose civil engineering in the first place, I wanted to be able to walk down the street and point to my work.

The producer immediately recognized the best photo-ops. He had me stand in the rotunda of Union Station and describe the unrealized plans to build a high-rise extension on top of the historic art deco structure. I was actually situated just a few feet from the base of the steps famously featured in the Kevin Costner version of The Untouchables. None of that history was lost on the camera crew.

On the final day of our shoot, I took the crew to the rooftop of 540 West Madison. This site offered the most dramatic vistas of the City. However, the strong winds at that elevation and the lack of a pedestrian handrail made the conditions a little dangerous. While the cameraman was focused through his lens, the sound guy held a loop on the cameraman’s backpack to guide him around tripping hazards. The wind also made it impossible to get decent audio, so a conversation between the building manager and me was cut from the final video.

We wrapped up filming looking for the fun, quirky hobbies that would show me as real person. They filmed me playing soccer and walking along the lakeshore path, but in the end, the producers highlighted my occasional interest in rollerblading to work as my cool out-of-office activity. The video repeatedly features a canned jaunt across the State Street Bridge, which is decidedly out of the way for my commute.

That introduction set the stage, however, for the real star of the video, Chicago and its infrastructure. That’s probably how it should be for a civil engineer.

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Tags: behind the scenes, civil engineering, day in the life, Filmmaking, NAS, Structural engineer

Somewhere on the walk back from the karaoke bar to our hotel in Montreal, one of the other younger members attending the ASCE conference with me turned and exclaimed, “I hope none of the pictures from that experience make it on Facebook.” Photos of an off-key performance of Love Shack are probably tame enough for friends and family, but this sparked a longer conversation the next day about social media. Almost everyone I spoke with could relate a story of a friend or colleague who found themself in trouble by sharing too much information on Facebook. A few people were also known to have been fired for inappropriate content.

Ken does karaoke.

One of my former college classmates became somewhat infamous for being fired from Google after posting sensitive information on his blog. This was back in 2005, before Facebook made it easy for anyone to share too much information with his or her online community. I keep that story in the back of my mind any time I consider posting something controversial on this blog or my personal social media profiles.

Many people are not as discerning, and I see a big generation gap on this issue. I don’t want to be a scold, but all users of social media should consider that they make a lot of private information public. I cringe at a lot of the activities that friends and family are willing to share even with me. Do you really want me to know how much you had to drink last night? And don’t give me the details of your relationship that would make even Dr. Drew blush.

Failbook.com example, too much information: illegal acts

Even if you consistently apply the various privacy settings that Facebook makes available, understand that there can be leaks within your trusted network. My sister found this out the hard way when she decided to pull a prank on her close friends by announcing she was engaged in her relationship status line. Within hours she received a phone call from her 90-year old grandmother offering counseling on a rash life choice. The family phone tree can work faster than the digital message board.

With these anecdotal stories in mind, I did some research on how employers view social media. Could your social exploits cost you a job? According to a 2012 CareerBuilder.com survey 37% of employers check social media before hiring. When asked why, 65% of hiring managers said they were looking to see whether a candidate presents himself or herself professionally online. This is a reflection on how he or she will work with colleagues and deal with clients. For those candidates whose chances a new job were cut short because of the information on their profiles, 49% had posted inappropriate pictures and 45% described excessive drinking or drug use.

Another survey found that an even more damning social media practice is to bad-mouth current or former colleagues and management. It’s never a good idea to berate a colleague or boss on social media. Even if the object of your scorn isn’t in the network, my guess is you have another colleague among your friends that may not see things your way. Clients should likewise never be mentioned negatively in social media. For anyone else competing for clients or a promotion, details on improper client relations is irresistible leverage. Keep in mind that it’s a small world in your industry. Information and reputation spread quickly with or without social media. It’s better that only positive info can be found in writing.

Failblog.com example too much information: criticizing employer

All that said, there are many positive uses for social media. I know of several people who used LinkedIn to find their next job. In fact, our most recent hire was notified of the opening though a posting in a Linked-In group. I’ve personally found it very rewarding to include colleagues and clients among my Facebook friends. When you get to the point that you can truly consider the people you work with to be friends, it much improves the hours spent in the office. Use social media as a force for good and the potential for this new media can be incredible.

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Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Each area of the city has its own unique atmosphere, though how the vibe is interpreted can be very subjective. Over the years some neighborhoods have changed dramatically. This makes for a constantly changing urban fabric that remains current for the times. However, the diverse architecture of any given neighborhood marks the history of the place.

The architecture of Prairie Avenue retells all of Chicago’s history. On a rainy day in October, I toured several of the homes in the historic district. The opportunity was afforded by the Open House Chicago event sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Every year, the CAF coordinates special tours in various neighborhoods to allow visitors a chance to explore the architectural treasures of Chicago.

Clarke House Museum Front Entrance

The oldest home in Chicago is now located near Prairie Avenue. The Clarke house was built in 1836, one year before the City of Chicago was incorporated. At the time, Chicago was still a frontier town. Mr. Clarke supported his family by trapping, hunting, farming, selling dairy products and acting as city clerk. His income from these activities was sufficient to build a nice-sized home in the Greek Revival style, which was popular at the time.

From the street, the Clark’s home looks a lot like a Greek temple. Four Doric columns extend up from a stepped porch and support a large triangular entablature. On each elevation there are several large picture windows that extend up from floor level. Inside, the home is laid out like a typical colonial, with kitchen and living and dining rooms on the first floor. Bedrooms are on the second floor.

Clarke House utilizes the timber frame method of construction. This method, which ties large timbers together with mortise and tenon joints, is known to result in a very robust structure. Over the years, the home has survived two fires and two cross-town moves. In 1977 the home was actually hydraulically lifted over the ‘L’ tracks in order to be moved to its current location. The longevity of Clarke House symbolizes the rugged fortitude of Chicago’s early residents whose hard work formed the foundation of a world-class city.

As early as 1885, Chicagoans began exploring new architectural forms to take advantage of the new materials and techniques of the era and to establish a unique architectural identity. Architect H. H. Richardson was commissioned by John and Frances Glessner to design a home for their corner lot on Prairie Avenue, then Chicago’s most exclusive neighborhood. Glessner’s neighbors included Marshall Field, Philip Armour and George Pullman. John Glessner made his fortune as a founding partner of a farm machinery company that merged with others to become International Harvester.

Glessner House North Façade. Image Courtesy www.glessnerhouse.org

With a large budget, Richardson set out to design a radical departure from traditional residential design. From the street, the Glessners’ house presented an imposing fortress-like rusticated granite façade. However, the central courtyard permitted sunlight to bathe the home. The interior was detailed similarly to home of the arts and crafts style, which the success of the Glessner home partially propelled. Oak paneling, grand staircases and stately fireplaces provided an ideal setting for the Glessner’s own impressive collection of home furnishings.

Glessner House Museum Front Door. Image Courtesy www.glessnerhouse.org

Richardson’s design acumen began with admission to the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He went on to gain acclaim for his design for Trinity Church in Boston. His significant works include the New York State Capitol in Albany and the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh. However, Richardson’s work on Glessner house may have had the most lasting impact on contemporary architecture. His design legacy continued on with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Wheeler Mansion Bed and Breakfast. Another classic home in the Prairie Avenue Historic District.

Over the years, Prairie Avenue lost its allure to the well-to-do of Chicago. The near south side became an industrial center, close to the lakeside rail corridor. For a time, Chicago’s organized crime leaders tightly controlled this area. However, in the past few decades Prairie avenue has again become a desirable residential location. It’s conveniently close to the McCormick Conference Center and has ready public transportation into downtown.  Unfortunately, many of the beautiful old homes were demolished, leaving only a couple blocks that recount the rich history. We are fortunate that the Clarke and Glessner house remain and are now protected as museums by the City Parks District.

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Tags: Architecture, Chicago, Chicago Architecture Foundation, neighborhoods, Prairie Avenue