Kristina Swallow
Nevada Department of Transportation
Las Vegas, NV USA
"Remind yourself that life is all about choices—and you have control over those choices."
Career Roadmap
Kristina's work combines: Engineering, Government, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Meet with an engineer and ask what they do and why. Then meet another and ask the same questions. Our career is very broad so while one area may not be interesting to you, another might exactly line up with your passion.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Civil Engineering, General
University of Arizona
Graduate Degree
Civil Engineering, General
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I knew I wanted to be a civil engineer from a young age because my dad was a civil engineer, so I gained exposure to the work early on.
2.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, moved to Las Vegas because of the promising job opportunities, and started working in flood control, land development, and traffic.
3.
As I gained experience, I became curious about the regulations dictating civil engineering projects, so I applied for a fellowship in Washington, D.C., to learn more about transportation policy.
4.
My fellowship ended after a year but I stayed for two more years and worked in surface transportation authorization—I really learned how hard it is to get legislation through all the negotiations.
5.
When I came back home to Las Vegas, I worked for the City of Las Vegas and gained more experience in local municipal design.
6.
After years of involving myself in volunteer work, I ran for president of the American Society of Civil Engineers—I was only the fourth female president and the first president from Nevada!
7.
During the last nine months of my presidency, I decided to leave my job with the city so that I could focus all of my attention on the American Society of Civil Engineers.
8.
After my presidency ended, I received the opportunity to work as the director of the Nevada Department of Transportation—I’ve loved the work since my first day on the job!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
You switch jobs too frequently. You're intimidating.
How I responded:
I've switched jobs often throughout my career, so that's been an item of criticism. In response to that, you really need to know why you're switching so that you can communicate it to others. In my case, each new job resulted in a new opportunity to learn and grow. As for being told that I'm intimidating, I try to ask for clarification to better understand what areas I need to improve so that people don't feel that way. Is it my communication style, a way I manage meetings, or something else?
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I think the key to work-life balance is realizing that you can do it all over time but you can't do it all at once. I've sacrificed relationships in order to pursue my interests, but that's a choice I made because I wanted to pursue those things.