Ep. 34 – Engineers, Not Everything is Taught at University

Born in North Carolina, Jennifer grew up in southern Virginia where a long-time family friend introduced Jennifer to Civil Engineering at an early age by enlisting her help answering phones and running errands for his construction business. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from NC State University and spent 28 years at NCDOT before retiring in 2015. At NCDOT she held positions in construction administering construction projects in the Raleigh/Durham area of NC, and in maintenance and asset management helping NC maintain and improve its nearly 80,000 mile roadway network.  After leaving NCDOT, she spent 4 years with a private engineering firm working in various aspects of their business from design management to maintenance operations and business development. She joined AgileAssets in August 2020 in the middle of the COVID pandemic. At AgileAssets, she uses her vast transportation experience to work with clients and software developers to create state of the art products that help transportation agencies make better decisions. She is the Southeastern Account Executive and covers the southeastern US from Virginia to Louisiana and Arkansas. She is also an Adjunct Faculty Member at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC where she teaches highway infrastructure in the Construction Management Program. She and her husband live on a farm in Granville County NC with their 2 German Shepherds and assorted farm animals. This year, they will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary.   Let’s dive into today’s show! [00:01 – 08:08] Opening Segment Jenn is a transportation professional An advice Jenn wants to give to young Engineers Some things not taught at Engineering school Be prepared for change Jenn’s earlier years as an Engineer   [08:09 – 14:49] Let’s talk about the skills Technical and soft skills must marry each other Jenn’s big key to success Communicate: listen and understand A shift to the private sector What could be helpful for this transition phase   [14:50 – 17:16] Be willing to do these things Failure is not fatal! Be willing to learn Be willing to try new things Be willing to fail, and get up again   [17:07 – 21:07] Closing Segment Parting Notes Tweetable Quotes: “Be flexible is my key message [to young Engineers].” - Jennifer Brandenburg “Engineers are notorious for not being able to communicate.” - Jennifer Brandenburg “Don’t let failure block your career.” - Jennifer Brandenburg “Listening is a really big part of being an effective communicator.” - Dr. James Bryant   Connect to Jennifer: Follow her on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to shoot her an email at [email protected]