Q&A with a Civil Engineer
Engineers Week is dedicated to creating a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing the understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers. To celebrate Engineers Week, we talked to Aaron Moore, Engineer in Training in our Kansas City office, about his job as a civil engineer.
What got you interested in civil engineering?
“So, in high school, I actually wanted to be an architect, and I took some art classes and found out that drawing really wasn’t for me, so I took up Civil Engineering as a major in college and fell in love with it. What I enjoy the most is just being able to drive around town and see the things that I work on every day.”
What brought you to Kaw Valley Engineering?
“I started out as a Student Intern in the Junction City office and once I graduated I came to the Kansas City office full-time. I did some research online, connected with one of our recruiters through LinkedIn, and kind of went from there.”
Can you describe what your job entails/what types of projects you typically work on?
“I do a lot of storm water management, a lot of site design using AutoCAD and the occasional traffic study.”
What do you enjoy about your job?
“I enjoy the amount of teamwork that goes into it. You might have architects, geotechnical engineers, structural, storm water, and the client all involved in the project. You don’t need to know the ins and outs of what everyone does, but just being connected and staying up with everything kind of helps you know where you fit in with everything in the project.”
What branches of civil engineering most interest you?
“I really enjoy storm water and transportation. Those two areas are kind of where I like to focus in on.”
What advice would you give to students that are currently studying civil engineering or entering the workforce soon?
“I would say never stop connecting with people. Never stop building your network. You never know who you’ll end up knowing that could help you on a future project. Being involved in organizations outside your normal job definitely helps, whether that’s the American Society of Civil Engineers, or the E Club. Anything—it could be engineering related or just for fun, but being involved in organizations definitely helps.”
What challenges are there as an engineer in the civil engineering industry?
“I think that climate change is one of the biggest issues that we’re facing in our world right now, and I think that as civil engineers it’s our job to be able to adjust and accommodate those changes.”
What do you most enjoy about working at Kaw Valley Engineering?
“I like the varied work that we do and the fact that no two days are ever the same. At the end of the day I get to come home with a lot of cool stories and pictures from the work that I do.”
What are your future career goals?
“My goal every day is to just get a little bit better every day. To master my craft and ultimately get my PE license.”
To finish our Q&A, Aaron added, “As a young engineer, I’m finding out that lifelong learning is important and there’s always things that you can do to improve as an engineer.” We’re proud of everything Aaron is learning and can’t wait to see him grow as an engineer! Happy Engineers Week to all of our engineers!