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According to the Businessweek article, the JPMorgan analyst lifted his rating on the stock to

“Overweight” from “Neutral,” suggesting Jacobs’ margins should stay stronger than most of its peers, despite a heavily competitive industry. He raised his earnings forecast for this year and next, citing his expectation of improving construction demand and a belief that Jacobs should see its margins hit their worst point within the next few quarters. Levine also noted the company’s strong balance sheet should allow it to pursue acquisitions. Recent partnerships should also position the company for growth in new markets, he said.

Such news is promising in what has been an otherwise chaotic and unpredictable period for engineers. We can only hope that this positive analysis is the first in a series of many to follow.

Has your company recovered from the recession?

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“As a sub-discipline, engineering leadership education is not yet on the radar of most engineering education experts outside the U.S.,” said Dr. Edward Crawley, Director of the Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program. “Certainly for many of the programs outside the U.S., there’s some discomfort with the notion of ‘leadership education’, as they feel this concept runs counter to their educational culture of inclusiveness and equality.”

The report was conducted by Dr. Ruth Graham in a series of interviews between September 2008 and March 2009. Dr. Graham investigated more than 40 programs, seeking to provide an insight into current practice, highlight international variations in approach, and identify examples of good practice. For a copy of the report, please visit http://web.mit/edu/gordonelp.

Launched through a $20 million gift by The Bernard M. Gordon Foundation, the Bernard M. Gordon – MIT Engineering Leadership Program is a new educational initiative at MIT whose goal is to help MIT’s undergraduate engineering students develop the skills, tools, and character they will need as future leaders in the world of engineering practice. For more information, visit http://web.mit.edu/gordonelp

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Kathy and Ron moved to Gainesville, Florida in 1989 where Kathy joined Jones Edmunds and Associates, Inc. During her 19 years with the firm, she served public works clients as a Design Engineer, Project Manager, and Senior Construction Resident Engineer. She became a Division Manager, Vice President, and Executive Committee member. During her tenure, she participated in the development of the firm’s Strategic Plan, managed Plan implementation, and served as a member of the leadership team that integrated the five elements of the Plan into the firm’s culture and operations.

Kathy led the successful establishment of a new market sector for the firm, ultimately resulting in her being named President of JEA Construction Engineering Services, Inc. (JEAces), a wholly owned subsidiary of Jones Edmunds, in 1999. The subsidiary grew to generate 25% of Jones Edmunds net revenue in its first five years of operation. Kathy retired from her position at JEAces in May of 2008 and is now President of Caldwell Cook and Associates and an adjunct Professor at the University of Florida.

Kathy has been an active, service-oriented member of ASCE since 1984. She was President of the Gainesville Branch in 1993/1994 and was the first president of the consolidated Florida Section (1999/2000). Her organizational and leadership skills contributed to the adoption of the Bylaws and Rules for Region 5. Kathy remains active with the Gainesville Branch, the Florida Section, Region 5 and Society committees. Kathy is a long and passionate proponent of ASCE’s Student program and is a Practitioner Advisor for the University of Florida Chapter. Most recently, Kathy served on the ASCE Board of Direction and Executive Committee while chairing the Region 5 Board of Governors and the Society’s Strategic Planning Committee.

In addition to her professional successes, Kathy is proud to have been honored as an Outstanding Alumni by the University of Tennessee Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

How to Vote

According to the ASCE’s website,

Only voting members with a valid e-mail address on record as of May 15, 2009, will receive an electronic signature via e-mail starting June 15. The email will contain a link to the voting site. If you are eligible to vote and have not received an electronic signature by June 19, you may contact ASCE Customer Service at 800-548-ASCE (2723) and request that one be provided. No electronic signatures may be provided on the phone, so a valid e-mail address is needed.
Election ballots will also be sent to the address of record for all eligible voting members by the election vendor, Survey and Ballot Systems. The election ballot will not be included in ASCE News this year, but the biographical, vision statements and other information will be published in the June issue.

Additional links

Kathy J. Caldwell’s website

Support Letter

Biographical Statement

Vision Statement

Interview Responses

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The joint Certification program, developed through ACI’s C-650 Committee, is designed to recognize the growing construction method and maintain its professionalism. To further increase participation in the Certification program, the exam is now offered in Spanish.

Full certification as a Tilt-Up Supervisor requires a passing score on the exam (70 percent) and a minimum of five years (7,500 hours) of verifiable construction experience, of which at least three years (4,500 hours) shall be as a Tilt-Up supervisor or assistant supervisor, as well as a demonstrated proficiency in and an understanding of overall on-site administrative and technical management for producing Tilt-Up projects.

Those lacking the sufficient work experience to qualify may become certified as a Technician by successful completion of the same written examination. The examination consists of approximately 80 multiple-choice questions.

Those certified will hold the status for five years before having to re-certify by successfully completing the current requirements for certification.  A certified Technician may upgrade to Supervisor status within a five-year time period of his or her certification through the completion of the necessary work experience. The program requires knowledge in safety, plan reading, scheduling, site preparation and foundations, slabs-on-grade, layout, forming, placement and properties, erection, and structural systems.

The next public offering of the Certification exam is September 29 at the TCA Annual Convention in Amelia Island, Fla.

This location, like most other opportunities, will also offer the certification seminar that is a great introduction and refresher course to many Tilt-Up construction concepts. The seminar serves as a final preparation tool for those seeking Tilt-Up certification.

The cost to attend only the seminar is included as part of the registration fee for the TCA Convention. The cost for the Certification exam is $145 for TCA members and $215 for nonmembers. Recommended study materials include the ACI Tilt-Up Certification Manual and the 6th edition Tilt-Up Construction and Engineering Manual, both available through TCA. TCA offers a standard three-part specification for Tilt-Up construction that adds the importance of certified supervision to the project. For more information about the exam, visit www.tilt-up.org or call 319-895-6911.

TCA was founded in 1986 to improve the quality and acceptance of site cast Tilt-Up construction, a construction method in which concrete wall panels are cast on-site and tilted into place. Tilt-Up construction is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, combining the advantages of reasonable cost with low maintenance, durability, speed of construction and minimal capital investment. For more information about the TCA, visit www.tilt-up.org.

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Read more of this article

More on infrastructure

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On January 28th, 2009, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), released its newest Report Card for Americas Infrastructure, the first update since 2005. ASCE released its very first report in 1998, and unfortunately the nations infrastructure GPA has only continued to worsen. This newest report covers 15 categories of infrastructure, including: roads, bridges, inland waterways, aviation, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, rail, schools, solid waste, transit, wastewater, public parks and recreation, dams and levees. While the full report will not be released until March 25th, this initial release includes letter grades for each the categories, solutions for improvement and the overall investment needed to improve the nations infrastructure. Wayne Klotz, President of ASCE, explains the grades and give them context in light of the current economic stimulus plan, outlines solutions including the need for a significant investment, outlines guidelines for successful investment of the stimulus infrastructure funds and provides insight into local issues.
Talent/Guest: Dr. Wayne Klotz, President of the ASCE
Source: ASCE.org

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The entire copy of the article can be found on the ASCE’s website.

American_Crumbling_Infrastructure

Because decades of underfunding and inattention have endangered our nation’s infrastructure, $2.2 trillion in repairs and upgrades is needed over the next five years to meet adequate conditions. That’s the conclusion of ASCE’s new 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which assigns an overall grade of D to the nation as well as individual grades in 15 infrastructure categories. Since ASCE’s last assessment in 2005, there has been little change in the condition of America’s roads, bridges, drinking water systems, and other public works. With the nation’s infrastructure receiving renewed attention from the White House, Congress, and the public as a vital part of an economic stimulus package, the Report Card offers informed guidance from professional engineers on where funds would best be spent.

• Your voice is still needed in Congress — now more than ever! As the Senate and House work to iron out the differences between each chamber’s economic stimulus plans, let them know that the final package should contain more investment in infrastructure. Contact your legislators today via ASCE’s online tool here.
• Details of the new Report Card, including grades in the 15 categories, suggestions for solutions, and more, are available here.
• Share your comments and track the progress of action in Washington in ASCE’s blog, Our Failing Infrastructure.
• ASCE has issued a series of Principles for Infrastructure Stimulus Investment to guide Congress and the White House in developing an effective economic recovery package. Read the criteria here.
• ASCE President Wayne Klotz discusses the Report Card findings in a video interview with Environment & Energy’s E&ETV; watch it here. Klotz also explains why more infrastructure funding in the economic recovery package would make it a stronger stimulus. Read his op-ed piece in the Houston Chronicle here.

Additional Reading:

1. New York Times Article on January 27, 2009
2. CNN’s Report on the story

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Are you looking for a new career at mid life? No doubt, a midlife career change is for you. Changing career at 30, 40, or even 50, is possible. In fact, the average person will change career somewhere between four to six times in their lifetime. And the reward of the right career is long term joy and job satisfaction — it fulfills your professional, financial and personal needs.

Whether you’re facing a fading occupation or just tired of your current job, you are no different than others who are experiencing similar midlife crisis. If money was not an issue you are starting to build a more meaningful second half of your life. The pressure of social status and meeting the expectations of significant others are no longer your highest concern.

Unfortunately, because you have already achieved some success you might have made some excuses for staying in a job you did not like. What’s more, some people in your life may tell you to stay with the job. You may hear that you shouldn’t be changing careers “at your age” and that “it’s a job, you aren’t supposed to like it.” But both of these are very false.

If you want to get a second chance but you don’t want your situation to become worse, thoroughly assess your situation and find a career that is right for you. Think it through and take things one step at a time. When you do that, not only will you have all the ammunition that you need to combat that naysayer who wants you to stay where you are but be on the path to a brand new career and loving every minute of it.

My midlife career change advice consists of 10 steps:

1. Current Position

2. Skills, Interests and Values

3. Career Choices

4. Transferable Skills

5. Additional Education

6. Career Networking

7. Financial Preparation

8. New Career

9. Burning Bridges

10. Measuring Results

Current Position

Take a look at your current position, both professionally and personally. Is your current job satisfying? Do you actually like your job? Do you have to drag yourself to the office or store or whatever each day? Do you dread returning to work after a day off? Those are the most basic questions to ask and ones that are often overlooked.

Are you stuck in a rut? Do you feel stifled or held back? Do you feel as if you are going nowhere? The need for a job change can be due to many things such as poor management, boredom, or lack of motivation. If you feel that you just can’t get any more out of your job after utilizing your existing skills or that you may have hit a professional plateau, it may be time to think about a new career plan.

Keep a log of how you react to various job issues. Jot down various thoughts that you have about your job throughout the day — those that are positive as well as negative. Don’t just focus on the tasks; also think about the company culture, your co workers and other factors. For instance, do you work for a corporation but you are more idealistic in nature?

However, make sure that you are in a new career for the right reasons. A career change is not an effective way of fixing a problem that you may be having at work. As a matter of fact, that is a pretty good way to go about possibly messing up your life even more. If you can deal with the fact that you can’t run away from your problems even with a career change, your life will be much better for it.

Once you analyze your situation remember to set up your personal goals. These should be your first career planning step to a new, perfect career. You do deserve to enjoy a career success as well as a meaningful life. By setting life and career goals you’ll enhance your career plan to the next level since your career has an undivided relationship with each area of your life.

Skills, Interests and Values

Have you found your ideal career? If you haven’t, take some career tests and make a self assessment. Your values, personality, interests and aptitudes as well as your overall qualifications are useful for two reasons. Not only will these help discover your perfect career, these also uncover your true reasons for switching to a new career.

Take a hard look at your skills and values. Is your current career addressing them? There are lots of free skills assessments and interest assessments that you can take on the internet. Think about things you have done in the past that you enjoyed including volunteer work, activities you did in college or school and jobs that you really liked.

Career Choices

If you want to be happy with your career change, it is your responsibility to make sure that you pick the right job this time around. Take some time to research and explore your options. Volunteer, get a part time job, visit a site — do whatever it takes to get as much a feel for the real world of the job that you are considering so that you won’t regret your career change in a few months.

Think about not only what you can do but also what you like to do. If you are going to make a job change, salary and benefits may be a factor in determining the route you should take, but that should not be the only reason that you make the move. Find a career that you will actually enjoy.

Statistics show that people who work in a job that they enjoy are healthier and experience fewer stress related illnesses. Also, take a look at the knowledge, skills and abilities that your prospective career requires. Do some research on your chosen career and your state’s department of labor is a good resource for finding profiles on various careers.

Select several career choices and read up on them. Read about the requirements as well as any additional education or skills that are needed.

Part 1 – Part 2

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