75: Civil Engineer Struggled with ADD and Depression in College – Liz Wells
Liz Wells earned Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from UW-Platteville and works for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
[2:10] Progression of career at the WI-DOT- entry level – design or construction are options. In the construction side you are typically on-site. Liz is focused on highway construction now as a project leader. There is also the concept of Mega projects like big interchanges.
[6:25] Liz is in charge of the contractor for the cones for, closures ahead, etc. Many times what is designed on paper just does not work, and has to be adjusted in the field. – She goes into some examples.
[9:45] She is really fired up about traffic control and is constantly changing.
[12:15] taking an idea and turned into success – toothpick competition on bridges – and found she was passionate about bridges. This drove her towards engineering.
[14:35] Getting through college was challenging – even in High School she struggled. She was borderline ADD after some tests. In College she failed many classes, failed Calculus-II at least 3 times and had to go back to Calculus 1. Then got diagnosed with ADD. That first year, she had clinical depression. Liz was very dedicated to making this work. What made a big difference was the Platteville team supporting Liz. It did take about 8 years to graduate, she really wanted the Engineering Degree.
[20:05] Why she did not just quit after failing so many times – one word is Passion.
[21:45] More discussion on ADHD – when you go talk to your counselor – think of them of them as your coach.
[25:10] Best advice – always respect everyone regardless of their title.
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