Tag Archives: Infrastructure

Hot Job Alert:Senior Water/Wastewater Project Engineer

Hinton Human Capital, an emerging leader in executive search in Environmental and Infrastructure Markets is now searching for Water/Wastewater Senior Project Engineer for a well-respected regional engineering consulting firm in Poughkeepsie, NY. Ideal candidate will have at least 8-12 years of demonstrated design experience in municipal wastewater and water facilities as well as distribution and collection systems plus the following skills and abilities:

  • Demonstrated history of designing water/wastewater treatment facilities and pipeline infrastructure

  • Ability to lead junior level staff and technicians in design and project tasks

  • Must have strong oral and written communications skills

 Requirements

  • BS in Civil or Environmental Engineering required
  • Masters is a strong plus
  • NY State PE License or the ability to get within 6 months via reciprocity
  • Process Design experience a plus
  • Must be able to permanently work in the US no sponsorship available

    I am Interested

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The 6 Hottest Job Areas In Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering Will Be Hot Over the Next Few Years

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.gov), the Civil Engineering profession is expected to grow over 25% over the next decade. Our nation’s infrastructure (energy grid, roads, bridges, water treatment systems, mass transit including airports, levees and dams) is falling apart and poses a threat to our safety and economy. Government officials, desperate to create jobs,  are focusing harder on ways to fix and upgrade the infrastructure. In this series of posts we will cover the areas of civil engineering where we see present and future growth.

Here are the Up And Coming Areas of Civil Engineering we will cover over our series of posts.

  1. Ports, Harbors & Off Shore Facilities
  2. Storm Water & flood Mitigation
  3. Dams & Levees
  4. Power Grid & Pipeline Infrastructure
  5. Transportation
  6. Drinking & Wastewater Infrastructure

Why You Will Benefit From These Posts

The main reason job seekers will benefit from reading these posts is that large scale and long term civil engineering projects tend to create additional local jobs in their “ripple effect”. For example: The metro Atlanta area is voting on a $6 billion transportation bill to alleviate its major congestion problems. Projects like these could produce  hundred or thousands of jobs in the following indusries:

  • Construction & labor Staffing
  • Construction equipment
  • Concrete/asphalt & aggregate
  • Restaurants & food stores (These people do eat lunch)
  • Banking & retail
and many more.
We will cover these details of how civil engineering projects create job growth more in depth as we go along.

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Where The Jobs Are: CNBC Special Points Out Infrastructure Job Opportunities

CNBC aired a great documentary “The Race To Rebuild: America’s Infrastructure” which pointed out the serious problems with our country’s bridges, levees, pipelines and roads. The degradation of these key pieces of infrastructure is a direct threat to our human lives and our economic future. CNBC did an excellent job in pointing out the fact that infrastructure investment would create thousands of jobs. Here are some jobs that could come from major infrastructure investment:

  1. CAD Technicians
  2. Civil Engineers
  3. Construction Inspectors (bridge,dams, highway and pipeline)
  4. Construction field workers
  5. Electrical Engineers
  6. Environmental Technicians
  7. Environmental Scientists
  8. Equipment Operators
  9. Forensic Investigators
  10. Geotechnical (Dam & Levee) Engineers
  11. Line workers and Electrical Maintenance
  12. Natural Gas Technicians
  13. Pipe layers
  14. Structural Engineers

What Do You Think?

There are many more jobs that would come from infrastructure investment. Here are some questions to discuss:

  1. What should be done to protect the public from these preventable dangers like the I-35 bridge collapse?
  2. The “Shovel Ready ” stimulus was a failure in its implementation. What could be done differently?
  3. Is it right to settle with injured people after a infrastructure disaster or fix the problem?

What do you think?

Further Reading

Job Certifications & Skills Needed

Top 17 Job Skills Employers Want In 2012

 

Special Report: Why Recent Pipeline Disasters Point Toward Jobs

 

Where The Green Jobs Are Opening Up

Redefining Green Jobs

Last week, I got a call from a national news organization who wanted me to come on live

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TV to comment on David Brooks’ New York Times article “Where the Jobs Aren’t”. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity but after reading Mr. Brooks article, I felt I had to respond. The biggest problem with green jobs is not their availability but the definition of “green jobs”. Here is my definition of green jobs :

“Green, environmental and infrastructure jobs are those jobs which improve the quality of life (economics, energy and infrastructure), restore the environment and lessen environmental impacts through technology, conservation and recycling of resources.”

Green Jobs Are More Than Clean Energy Technology

In his article, Mr. Brooks asserted that green jobs and green energy jobs are synonymous and pointed out how some government sponsored green energy programs have failed to create the jobs promised by the President. While I support Mr. Brooks’ comments on his specific points, I felt it necessary to explain to the public that green jobs are more than green (or clean) energy technology. Green jobs encompass myriad career fields across the construction, environmental, infrastructure, maintenance and manufacturing sectors.(This is why I call them green, environmental and infrastructure jobs)  It is in these sectors,which is often overlooked by green job advocates and detractors alike ,that companies are looking for new workers. Let me explain:

Missing information About Other Green Jobs

One of the major tenants of the green movement is being more efficient with resources. Before a solar or wind facility can produce power, it must be connected to the electrical grid. Most of the current US electrical grid was built in the early 20th century, “leaks” large amounts of energy during high winds and  is prone to large scale blackouts during peak demand periods (see US DOE report power lines) and (see southwest power blackout). Many staunch green energy advocates mention smart grid technology as part of the clean energy jobs agenda but downplay physical grid infrastructure upgrades such as replacing copper lines with super conductive lines, building new substations and new natural gas fired plants as new sources of jobs. Why? Here is the short answer: These construction,engineering, maintenance and manufacturing jobs in the utility sector are not considered green in some circles because they not singularly support clean energy agenda and do not evoke an emotional response from the public.

An Example of Where the Green Jobs Are

Mr. Brooks quoted a GE executive who touted that the GE Smart Grid Initiative would eliminate 128,000 meter reader jobs and a study by McKinsey which found that Smart Grid technology would create a “few engineering jobs” . What was not reported is that the energy utilities industry is having a tough time finding qualified workers for their engineering and maintenance positions maintain the electrical grid (See “Why Many Green, Environmental & Infrastructure Jobs Will Go Unfilled”). In 2008, the Center of Energy Workforce Development reported that 46 percent of the energy utility high skilled workforce (including technician jobs) will have to be replaced by 2013 due to retirements and attrition (see report here) and 1 in 50 applicants for electrical linemen jobs make it through the interview process (The 2009 report was even worse).This ratio is not completely due to employers being “picky”. The major problem is that there are not enough qualified applicants available due to a lack of skills (read more about the skills gap) and the demand for improved infrastructure is rising.

Now I understand those who disagree with me will quote the Bureau of Labor Statistics website (or O*Net) and say that these jobs are not growing (see the info here).  But when you factor in the ASCE Report Card for energy (see it here) which portends the amount of work that needs to be done; potential number of baby boomer retirees and number of qualified applicants to job picture looks quite different. (Here is a List of Green Jobs and their employment outlooks.)

More Green Jobs to Come

I applaud Mr. Brooks’ article for pointing out the shortcomings of some government sponsored green energy programs but when it comes to reporting on the growth and availability of green jobs the whole story should be told.

If You Liked This Article, Read These

3 Hottest Green, Environmental & Infrastructure For Late 2011

Hinton Human Capital Careers 

 

Guest Post: Does Credibility Really Count in Your Engineering Career?

Here is a guest post from my friend, Anthony Fasano who is launching his new book “Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career.”

This post is an excerpt from Anthony Fasano’s new book Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career. Anthony is a Civil engineer turned executive coach, speaker and author and now spends his time helping engineers around the world to create careers that are exciting, enjoyable, and rewarding while being well-balanced. In this post Anthony will discuss the impact that credentials can have on your career, specifically your credibility.

Your credentials represent measurable accomplishments in your career, which include your degrees, licenses, certifications, and any awards you may have won. Credentials are essential for several reasons, but the most important thing that credentials bring you is CREDIBILITY!

Whether you are trying to secure a job with a new employer or obtain a new client, the more credibility you have, the easier it will be. This seems like an obvious point, but so many professionals fail to recognize the importance of credentials, therefore they don’t pursue them, which in turn drastically impedes their career development.

Credentials will not necessarily make you a great design engineer or project manager. However, they will put you in a position to effectively display your engineering and management talents. It is not uncommon for engineers to get promoted over other engineers simply because they have their Professional Engineering (P.E.) license, when in reality the engineer that was passed over is more talented. Or how many times has a business professional been overlooked for a promotion simply because they’re missing a crucial professional designation? It’s unfortunate that many companies work this way, but ultimately it’s your responsibility to obtain the credentials that will help you advance in your career.

Not excelling at examinations or having no time to pursue a degree are poor excuses. You are a smart, powerful individual that can do anything when you put your mind to it! You can, and will pass any exam that you properly prepare for in advance. Having a clear goal of the credentials you want to obtain, with a set timeline for completion, will keep you on track to obtain those much needed (and sought after) letters after your name.

So, as you’re plotting your path to success in the corporate jungle, carefully consider what accreditations you can obtain to ensure your highest placement in the potential employee pool of your chosen field.

Credibility does indeed count for more than just taking up framed space on your office wall.

Order your copy of “Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career” within the next 24 hours and receive two incredible bonus gifts (FREE). Go to http://engineersuccesstoday.com. A portion of each book sold will be donated to Engineers Without Borders.