One of the five core values of our Dewberry at Work culture is perseverance, with a listed behavior to focus on the long haul. This principle has been driving my over-15-year career with Dewberry, and thanks to many years of hard work and support from my team, family, and friends, I have finally achieved one of my biggest career goals—completing my bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
Education and Skills Development
When I first began at Dewberry, I was a CAD drafter in the healthcare mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural (MEPS) group. While I enjoyed that role for 10 years, I always knew that I could do more. I wanted to create the redlines that designers and engineers gave me to draw into CAD; I aspired to be an electrical designer, and one day, an electrical engineer. After I expressed this interest to my supervisor, Sid Mitchell, I was met with nothing but complete support. Sid helped me to create a plan to map out how I could be promoted to an electrical designer before receiving my bachelor's degree.
As part of the plan, I continued to develop my skills in all aspects of electrical design, including layouts, receptacles, power data, and the various standards electrical professionals use like the National Electric Code and National Electrical Safety Code. My experience as a drafter had previously exposed me to these skills, which led to my promotion much sooner than I anticipated. However, for the jump from electrical designer to electrical engineer, a degree in electrical engineering would be required.
As I continued my part-time coursework for my degree, my new role as designer pushed me to keep learning in and out of the classroom and provided valuable insight to accompany my studies. My teammates also offered guidance and encouragement to help me persevere through the various challenges that came my way. Juggling full-time work, coursework, and personal responsibilities was no easy task; I was constantly pushed to my limit but was frequently reminded of the value of perseverance and the goals I wanted to achieve.
In December 2023, I received my Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and was promoted to staff engineer.