Throughout high school and college, I worked on construction sites as a laborer, which gave me a unique perspective when I eventually entered the field as a newly graduated engineer. I had a deep understanding that despite my education, no contractor would immediately regard me as an equal due to my age and lack of experience as I had graduated from UNH only two months prior. Even though I was nervous about how I would be perceived by contractors and their teams, my journey from laborer to engineer taught me invaluable lessons in technical skills, effective communication, and confidence-building on construction sites.
Initial Fears on the Construction Site
I feared falling into one of two common stereotypes for a recently graduated engineer: The first being a know-it-all of sorts, someone who acts as though they have all the answers and speaks with unwavering authority. The second, the opposite extreme, was the timid engineer who lacked the confidence to voice their ideas and was easily dominated by the contractor.
These fears of being either overly confident or overly passive are shared by nearly every new engineer stepping onto a construction site for the first time. I especially felt these fears knowing how new I was to the field and being on the flip side of a previously known coin. Going into this aspect of the job I knew I was going to learn the technical aspects of construction, the different methods to the specifications while working, but I quickly realized that a significant part of the job would be learning how to communicate and collaborate with a wide range of contractors, subcontractors, and project owners. This skill, in addition to technical knowledge, would help to shape my success for the next four projects I would complete over the course of six months. I learned firsthand during my third bridge culvert project how useful all these skills would be.
The Turning Point: The Third Bridge Culvert Project
By this point, I had gained experience from my first two projects under the mentorship of my team leads, Josif Bicja and Katie Welch. They patiently answered my questions, guided me through challenges, and provided valuable teaching moments. As these projects progressed, they gradually allowed me to take on more responsibility, leaving me on-site to handle certain tasks independently. I was becoming more confident in my answers and solutions, thanks in part to my schooling but also by being exposed to many different aspects of two projects. This allowed me to formulate my own conclusions as conflicts came up, and my experience as a laborer started to become a benefit.
By previously being someone doing the gritty, and tough work on many different projects in the past, I understood their challenges. Taking this prior knowledge and applying it to my growth as an engineer on site enabled me to bridge the gap between the two roles. By the time my third project began, Josif, Katie, and I were confident that I could take charge on-site, solve problems, and address the contractor’s questions on my own.
While my interactions with the contractors had been positive so far, I had not yet determined how they would perceive me as an engineer.
This project—building a rigid frame bridge culvert—would be the turning point. We had worked with this contractor on a similar project nearby, but this time the conditions were different. The bedrock beneath the proposed footings was irregular, and there was a gas main located only two to three feet below the proposed location of southwest wingwall footing. The solid bedrock, which needed to be exposed and cleaned to make room for the concrete formwork and reinforcement, had unexpected variations in depth. The depth of the bedrock at some locations would be one and a half to three feet lower than anticipated.
This presented a challenge for the contractor, subcontractors, and me since the reinforcement had to be adjusted to meet the new grades without compromising the design of the footing.
Together, we devised a solution: drilling holes into the bedrock and inserting vertical reinforcement to act as scaffolding, lifting the reinforcement cages to the correct elevations. Another obstacle that came from the variations in height of the bedrock was the implementation of a proposed water main pipe running from west to east through the footings. The trench was excavated only two feet and a couple inches deep to maintain the grade of the proposed water main.
However, this caused a conflict between the bottom mat of reinforcement on the east footing and the water main pipe casing. This conflict required us to cut a two-foot wide by four-foot-long section out of the bottom mat of reinforcement.
Our team’s solution was to implement another smaller reinforcement mat about two inches above the proposed water main casing pipe to develop the loss strength in cutting the bottom reinforcement mat. This solution was just another example of the ongoing adjustments we made on-site to ensure the footings met the required design specifications.
Stepping into my Role, Stepping into Confidence
During this period, I found myself more involved than ever in the discussions and decision-making process with both the contractor and subcontractor. For the first time, I confidently spoke up about rebar placement and other technical details, and areas where I had previously hesitated due to my inexperience on the previous projects.
I was able to listen to the contractor and subcontractor’s insights, contribute my own ideas, and coordinate closely with Josif and Katie to ensure everything was on track. I gained a deeper understanding of reinforcement and construction processes that I wouldn’t have grasped months prior.
Ultimately, not only did I earn the respect of the contractors, but I also gained something far more valuable—a newfound confidence in my abilities as an engineer. Looking back, I realized that the fears I had about how I would be perceived on-site were replaced by a sense of pride in my growth and development.
I learned not just the technical skills required for the job, but also how to navigate the complexities of construction projects and communicate effectively with all the stakeholders involved. Want to learn more about what it’s like to work on a construction site or our bridge services? Reach out to me!
