Career Roadmap
Chelsea's work combines: Engineering, Numbers, and Problem Solving
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Civil Engineering, General
Unversity of California-Irvine
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Civil Engineers:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Civil Engineering, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Was good at math in school, but didn't know how to apply that to college major.
2.
Knew I wanted to work in the field somewhere.
3.
Decided on a major of Civil Engineering and applied to well known engineering schools.
4.
Looked for intern opportunities while in college to see different areas of engineering.
5.
Graduated and went to work for a very large engineering firm offering lots of travel oppertunities.
6.
Lived in 3 different states in one year and hated it.
7.
Looked for a smaller company that was more localized, was much happier.
8.
Economy down turn lead to a move to the consultant side of project management.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You should hurry up and get your Professional Engineer's stamp so you can get a good stable job at a design firm, because that is the only way you are going to have a chance in the engineering world.
How I responded:
I thought they might be right, there aren't many women working on construction sites. So I tried out the design world, and interned for 2 years while in college. It was okay, but it got repetitive quickly, and I never felt like I would be challenged. Spoke with some people I knew working for general contractors, and worked my way up in a very male dominated world. I now work for a woman owned construction consulting firm. There are still very few women, but it is very possible to succeed.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
It was very important to my dad that his children go to college. I was the first to graduate from college, and set the example for my sisters. It was a struggle to finish because I was tired of school, but the pressure helped get me through.