John+Elliott

How long have you worked for Shaw? 1 year and 4 months What do you do specifically? Design support structures to support piping systems in power plants. Calculate stress in piping systems to make sure they will have no problems during operation. Why did you choose your career? I wanted to work on big industrial projects. What were your expectations of your career before you started? I don’t know. What was the most difficult thing to accomplish when you were first starting out in your field? Gaining respect from older engineers What is the most stressful parts of your job? When the project gets to the end and there are no hours left for the project but you still need to get the work done. Everyone is constantly telling you to hurry up and get done. What is the most enjoyable part of your job? Taking field trips to the job site to see your work installed. Doing retrofit work at existing plants, because you are confined with what you have to work with. It can be challenging. If you could do anything would you still be an engineer? Yes or maybe a geologist. What are your hopes for your career in the future? To became a project engineer How has your career and related fields been effected by the economy? We did get two projects canceled because of the credit crunch, but I did get a raise and a bonus this year. There is always a need for electric power. The whole energy industry is aging and needs to be rebuild, so we will be busy for a long time. What degree do you have? BSME – Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Did you attend graduate school? No  Is it beneficial or necessary to continuing on past an undergrad degree either masters or PhD? Do not get a PhD. Just get your undergrad and work for awhile. Then if you want to focus on a specific area go to grad school and get masters of engineering, or if you want to go to the management side of things get your MBA. Does the university you attend have much influence on actually getting a job and succeeding? Yes, maybe for your first job. After that, my experience and my degree got me my current job. I think employers look a lot at the other things you did while in school too. If you could only make one recommendation what would it be? Take some business classes in college or get a minor in business. Take your time with school, the real world sucks (I took six years to get my undergrad) What were the most beneficial things that you did while in college? Being involved with a student design competition through ASME. Having a job in the construction industry in the summer.