My reflection/Interview:
TOKTW Written Report-HCE9
Name: Olivia Neuman
Date Due: November 16, 2022
Stream: 53
Class: Math 9
You will be observing your host throughout the day. Your assignment is to interview your host at some point and record the results. After the day is finished, reflect upon your experience and answer the reflection questions.
Name of your host: Scott Neuman
Relationship to you: Father/Dad
The Interview:(ask your host these questions)
1. What is your job title?
I am the General Manager, Engineering for the City of Surrey.
2.What is your job description?
I am responsible for the planning, constructing and maintaining of municipal infrastructure and services including overseeing 520 staff and an annual budget of $350 million.
3. What are the duties and/or tasks you perform at your job?
I perform Safety assessments, developing plans and drawings. I prepare reports for public budgeting and accounting. I perform construction, management and inspections. I do field investigations, compliance monitoring, administration, HR and staffing.
4. What qualifications do you have for this job in the following areas:
a) training
After University, engineers need 4 years of training before becoming certified.
b) education?
My education was a university degree in Applied Science- Civil Engineering which I received from UBC.
c) experience?
I have 23 years of experience working across North America.
d) skills and attributes (personal qualities)?
Strong technical skills (math, physics, sciences, analysis) are required, combined with practical problem-solving. Engineering is “applying science” to solve problems/challenges so the best engineers are wanting to solve problems, create solutions and get things built. Being physically fit and hands on skills (such as woodworking or mechanics) are excellent skills to add because I often have been in construction trying to solve a problem.
5. What are some of the things you like about the job?
My work has a lot of variety and complexity. I get to see projects advance from initial concept stages through to design and then construction so the end result is something you can physically see or touch, which makes it more relatable and rewarding to see your success.
6. What are some of the things you dislike about this job?
I personally do not have any dislikes with my job- there are challenges, but I accept these areas to problem solve so I can improve them. Some engineers work a lot in the office and do not get out into the field to see construction, therefore they can become feeling bored and “pigeon holed” (doing the same thing over and over) but my role has so much variety that I’m kept on my toes daily.
7. How do you anticipate this job changing in the next 5 years or so?
I am near the top of my career with little potential for advancement and over the next 5 years my focus will be on developing my staff and hiring more engineers to ensure the city has strong engineers into the future.
Other question (s): ______________________________________________________________________________
Student Reflections:
1.Give three reasons why you would like this job (be specific):
a) I would like to become a civil engineer because I love being able to design and create structures, place where they go and use logic to figure out how my city would benefit from the structure I would be emplacing, and how it may help the environment and our lives in the future.
b) I like working with other people, in short terms I am a people person, so I know that I would have little to no problem collaborating with my team and forming connections with contractors, and other engineers like transportation engineers, electrical engineers, environmental and so on. It is in my best interest to help improve our cities and make them more environmentally friendly and safe for the future.
c) I like knowing what I can do and will make a good difference. I want to succeed in life and be able to help my city evolve and change, in a positive safe, good for climate matter. I want to be able to make a change, so this job allows me to do what I want in some way.
2. Give three reasons why you would not like this job (be specific)
a) It is very stressful and a lot of work, my dad has a very high position, and he must manage a lot of people and projects which is very stressful and can cause lots of anxiety for him and I don’t really want to deal with that because I have anxiety and I try to do well and complete everything I can so it would take a toll on me
b) You must be very conscious of your team and if they are doing their work or not. Often you will have people’s problems and will have to talk to HR about it, you must be careful though because you do not want your staff to hate you and you simply cannot fire everyone therefore you must be very cautious and smart.
c)You must be able to solve problems quickly. Problem solving Is like a second language which I am not bad at however you need to know everything right away in case something comes up where you need it. You also need to be able to be right most of the time as you cannot afford grand error in this job.
3. Is this job for you? Why or why not?
Personally, I think this job is for me as I do enjoy problem solving and being able to make a grand difference in life. I like being logical and working and collaborating with others, I like building and creating things, so I think this job would be a great job for me and a great opportunity for me. I also think that this job would give me great experience for day-to-day life problems, and I would be able to communicate with others more easily if I decided to follow my father and apply to be a civil engineer.
4. Explain the value of the TOKTW experience in relation to your ideas about your post-secondary (after high school) plans (education? training? travel? work?).
This experience made me realize that there are so many different types of engineering opportunities and jobs out there and all engineers work together on projects to make the world a safer and better place. It doesn’t take one, it takes a whole team of many people, and this job really showed me that it is a lot of work and could never be considered easy but if you really love what you do then this job is defiantly for you. I got to see what my father did and really appreciate engineers more than I already do, I can notice what engineers have done around the area to improve the city and can realize that even the smallest projects they work on have such a huge effect on our society and world without us even noticing it. I am considering pursuing engineering in the future as a career and am very much looking forward to it.
Here are some photos I took while my dad and I visited some of his job sites:
