Ep. 91 - Civil Engineer - Michael Flanagan - City of Thornton, Colorado

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! This is the place to learn about careers from the people who are actually doing the work every day. I’m your host, Brian Bratt, and this week’s guest is 2010 Van Buren graduate Michael Flanagan, a civil engineer for the city of Thornton, Colorado. In this episode, Michael shares how a typical day looks as a civil engineer, how the first-year engineering program at the University of Cincinnati helped him decide what kind of engineer to become, how the soil in Ohio is much different from the soil in Colorado, and much more. Whether you are interested in a career as an engineer or are still exploring your options, I hope that what Michael shares today will help all of you make better career decisions and have fulfilling career journeys. Enjoy the show! 1:10 - A typical day as a civil engineer for the City of Thornton 2:16 - Michael deals with projects related to private money/development coming into the city. 4:48 - The goal is NOT to be a roadblock to developers. 5:18 - Visiting sites plays a role in Michael’s life. 6:24 - There is also plenty of time spent in front of a computer. 7:37 - Pretty much everything is done electronically regarding plans. 8:07 - “A plethora of meetings….” 8:39 - Thornton is a city (sixth largest in Colorado) and suburb of Denver. 10:33 - Michael is on a team of six engineers, but there are many others on other teams. 11:55 - Michael did plan to become an engineer because he was good at math and science, but he didn’t have a plan to become a specific type of engineer. 13:15 - Focusing on schools with good co-op programs. 14:24 - The first-year engineering program at Cincinnati is a great opportunity to learn all of the types of engineering available. 18:26 - How Michael chose North Carolina State for his master’s degree program 22:07 - Geotechnical Engineering - one of the specialities within civil engineering 25:15 - Expanding soil is a huge deal in Colorado, unlike in NW Ohio 26:55 - The first charge of an engineer is protecting life, health, and safety. 27:45 - There is a ton of writing as an engineer, and the writing needs to be technical and concise. 30:05 - Having hobbies is important to avoiding burnout. 32:15 - What people don’t know about living in Colorado. Questions? Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail (bbratt@vbschools.net). Connect with Michael on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/michaelrflanagan) or by e-mail (mrflanagan4@gmail.com).