How a Strong Online Presence Can Help You in Your Engineering Career – Ep 086

In this episode, we talk to Luis Duque, PE, M. ASCE, SEI, a Bridge Engineer at Foothills Bridge, about what it is like working as a structural engineer while having a strong online presence. Engineering Quotes: Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Luis: What is it like working as a structural engineer while having a strong online presence? How has having a strong online presence helped you in your engineering career? What made you decide to summarize everything you have learned for the PE Structural Exam and give it away for free? How do you manage work-life balance, and what advice do you have on planning your day for maximum productivity? Do you have any advice on how engineers can interact with their supervisors during reviews, whether they are doing weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual reviews? Do you have advice for engineers who are considering broadening their online presence? Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About How a Strong Online Presence Can Help You in Your Engineering Career: It can be fun to have a strong online presence as a structural engineer, but sometimes you must prioritize what is important at any given time. Try to help other engineers based on your experience and help younger engineers navigate their careers. You can gain experience by always practicing and being involved in organizations. Doing this outside of work brings value to your work and can bring a lot of growth in your career. The value of having a strong online presence is more on the networking side of things. Having a substantial network is important because you will have to answer difficult questions in your career, and you will be able to reach out to your network for help. Many online resources do not teach you how to study better for the PE Structural Exam. When having a strong online presence and a job that you must do every day, you must set clear rules for yourself and your family and be sure of what your priorities are. Have a schedule you can follow daily to ensure you can be the best you can be no matter what you are busy with at any given time. Remember to be smart with your time and only do what is possible with your energy levels and factoring in time to rest is of utmost importance. The annual review is not only a one-day or one-week deal. Anything that gets talked about in the review should not be a surprise for you or your supervisor. Clear communication must be in place throughout the year between you and your supervisor. Ask your supervisor to tell you immediately if you are doing anything that they do not like, or if something is not working for them. It is the best way to ensure that problem areas are dealt with right away. If you are considering broadening your online presence, do not compare yourself with other people who are doing more things than you. Start small and with things that you are passionate about. Share your thoughts, what you are learning about, and keep a record of the things you are doing. More Details in This Episode… About the Guest: Luis Duque, PE, M. ASCE, SEI Luis is a Bridge Engineer, Podcaster, and STEM advocate. He is passionate about helping others reach their goals as well as using his engineering skills to help communities in need all over the world. He is a former tennis player and Master of Science Student in Civil Engineering with Structural Engineering emphasis at South Dakota State University. Member of Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi, and former Vice President of EWB-SDSU. Member of the SEI Student Initiatives, SEI Timber Bridges, and SEI Business Practices Committees. Additionally, Luis is involved with the Denver ASCE YMG where he serves as the Networking chair for the 2019-2020 year.