Susan Slack
Year Graduated: 
2011

District 1 Area Engineer

Caltrans

Job Description

I work for the Caltrans Local Assistance division. I help and oversee local agencies who receive state and federal funding. We oversee the entire process from programming to close out. It involves a lot of paperwork, not a ton of stereotypical engineering, but we are involved in site visits and final inspections as well as looking over plans and occasionally specifications on the federal projects. I enjoy it because I can help local communities with the projects they need to do, most of which they would not be able to do without this funding.

Why did you choose this program?

I originally went to school for engineering to try to create solutions to our climate change problems. I picked Humboldt State because it seemed to have one of the best programs for that kind of engineering.

How did this program prepare you for your job?

I feel like my degree helped me quite a bit for this job. Although I do not use a lot of the skills in my current position as much as other departments such as hydraulics, environmental, or design, I still use them a bit to review documents and inspections. I went into the ERE program with very little computer skills, so just that alone has helped me a lot. I feel like almost all of the classes have gotten me where I am now; it is hard to pinpoint exactly which ones are the most beneficial. The water quality classes and hydraulics helped a lot, environmental CEQA/NEPA, statics, strength of materials, pretty much all of them have helped at some point.

What did you enjoy most about the program?

I liked the somewhat small sizes of our classes and the focus on the environment. I really enjoyed all the fieldwork we got to experience and the hands-on experience. I also felt like the professors really wanted to help and cared about what they were teaching.

What would you say to prospective students who are thinking about applying to this program?

I would say take your time, don't take on so much that it stresses you out for you can't handle it and give up. It is a challenging degree but it is very doable. If I had to redo it, I may try to join more groups and more internships. I think that would have helped me to get a job sooner.

Other comments?

I did not get an engineering job for 12 years after I graduated. I worked as a retail manager for most of that time. It had been so long since I had been in school that I had pretty much given up on becoming an engineer. I highly recommend taking your EIT/FE exam while you are still in school, it never expires and allows you to get an engineering job even if you don't do it immediately. It is more important than the degree.