I am a licensed (Illinois) civil engineer working for a government agency in Illinois. Most of my professional experience has been in state and local government, although I worked for private industry for several years. The best way to learn the details of my professional background is to check out my LinkedIn profile:
My route to becoming a civil engineer did not follow the typical “go to school for four years then get a job” path. Why? Probably a mix of having to work my way through college and just life events that happened. Instead I ended up with a two-year technical degree, worked as an engineering technician, then chose to go back for the four-year civil engineering degree. Although a challenging route, in the end, this gave me great experience and a good overall perspective on the industry.
Because of my interest and background in setting up and running websites and social media, I manage a site dedicated to offering online resources for those working in the public works industry. You can check out the site here: Public Works Group.
Another professional interest of mine is continuing education. In the past I taught a class for civil engineering technicians at a community college. I’ve also been involved with our local APWA Branch Education Committee. And more recently I’ve been working on developing professional training in subjects related to public works, government, and civil engineering. I’m currently working with an educational delivery system called 3D Game Lab and have a stormwater class available that anyone can take for free. You can read more about that here: Try Out Our Stormwater Beta Class. And finally, in Fall 2013 I’ll be teaching a session about Social Media and Public Works with Dave Lawry at the Illinois Public Service Institute (IPSI).
