Professional Engineer 

(Female, Age 34) from Estero, FL

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 34 who works as a Professional Engineer in Estero, FL. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Professional Engineer
Salary $65,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 48
Company Size (not answered)
Location Estero, FL
Years Experience 11 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I design Mechanical, HVAC and Plumbing systems for buildings. I run potential load calculations for various scenarios and then recommend and specify mechanical systems. I design ductwork and piping systems to ventilate, cool and heat buildings. I select and specify heating and cooling equipment. I perform energy calculations to determine that the building will meet local codes.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
3 weeks vacation, 1 week personal time, group health insurance, 401k plan, membership in one professional organization, continuing education opportunities

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
well compensated

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I interact with several other staff members and I enjoy it.

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 7
Hours: 2
Co-Workers: 6
Supervisors: 8
Job Title: 4
Level of Responsibility: 5
The Actual Work: 3

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
I called around.

What was the application process?
I made a phone call, submitted a resume, had a face to face interview and was offered the position.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. I interviewed with two people at the same time, the President of the company and the person that I would be working directly for. They offered me the job at the end of the interview.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Did I enjoy Plumbing design? What if the project takes more than 40 hours in a week to complete, would I be available? What did I feel I could do on the first day and be productive? How long have I been registered for?

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, they gave me mentoring and opportunities for continuing education.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I have a Bachelors of Architectural Engineering (a five-year professional degree that is accredited) and I am a registered Professional Engineer.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. I have a specialized engineering degree and what I studied in school is exactly what I do everyday.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
No internship experience.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Apply with a consulting engineering firm as a summer intern or as an official CO-OP. These are typically paid positions and you will most likely start out drafting and working in AutoCadd.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes and No. Most people in the industry have an engineering degree. You will need an engineering degree to get professionally registered at the state level. However, there are several people in my office that do not have college degrees who just learned the business and are very successful. Many of these people are invaluable assets to our firm. Being a CADD operator at my firm does not require a degree and many CADD technicians move on to become designers within the firm through mentoring and hard work.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Take lots of notes and learn how things are done. Each project is different but there are many similarities. Once you mater a task, you can do it over and over on other projects. If anyone takes you under their wing and offers to teach you anything, be appreciative of it and pay attention. This is the best way to learn.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes. I am learning a lot and would like to be a partner at this firm someday.

What are your current career goals?
I would like to continue to work at my firm and I hope that someday I will be able to become an associate and ultimately a partner.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Its fun!

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 Professional Engineer 3.5 yrs 64000 Design Mechanical, HVAC and Plumbing systems for buildings. Perform potential load calculations for various scenarios and then recommend and specify mechanical systems. Design ductwork and piping systems to ventilate, cool and heat buildings. I select and specify heating and cooling equipment. Perform energy calculations to determine that the building will meet local codes. Design plumbing systems for buildings.
Prior Job 2 Senior Mechanical Engineer 8 55000 Design Mechanical, HVAC and Plumbing systems for buildings. Perform potential load calculations for various scenarios and then recommend and specify mechanical systems. Design ductwork and piping systems to ventilate, cool and heat buildings. I select and specify heating and cooling equipment. Perform energy calculations to determine that the building will meet local codes. Design plumbing systems for buildings.

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:3.85

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
3.2 Penn State Bach of Architectural Engineering
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)

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