Earning a professional engineer’s license is a major career milestone. Recently, four employee-owners at Parametrix passed the exam to earn theirs. Congratulations to Chris Johnson, Brandon Moss, Marcus Vassey, and Scott Weirich! I asked them a few questions about their careers and their advice for others. Read their responses below.
Chris Johnson
Chris joined the Seattle Transportation group in 2018. He graduated from Washington State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering?
I have always been interested in science, how things work, problem solving, and building things. Throughout my childhood, my dad nurtured these interests. He would often engage in long conversations about how things worked and included me in house projects. When the time came to decide on a career path, I knew engineering was right for me. Engineering would allow me utilize my math and problem-solving skills to help improve our community.
What is your next career goal now that you’ve earned your PE license? What is your ultimate career goal?
My next career goal is to earn a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and eventually work on projects from a project management role. At a high level, my career goals are to be a lifelong learner, continue to follow my passions, and utilize my skillset for the betterment of society.
Which projects are you currently working on? What is your favorite project you’ve worked on?
I am currently working on the SR 305 Corridor on several roundabouts and fish passages as a roadway design engineer. I have had the opportunity to be a part of many great teams, working on exciting projects, but the SR 305 Corridor takes the top spot as my favorite project.
What advice do you have for others pursuing their PE license?
Whether you are studying for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam or the Principals and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam, develop a study plan a couple months in advance and stick to it. I am confident that you will not regret giving it your best effort. You can do it!
Brandon Moss
Brandon joined the Puyallup Water group in 2017. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2016 with a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Seattle University.
What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering?
My biggest inspiration is my father who is also a civil engineer. Growing up and having the opportunity to see in-construction and completed projects, seeing the math, science, and engineering principles involved in completing a project, and seeing how those projects can change the environment for the better certainly provided inspiration for my pursuing a career in engineering.
What is your next career goal now that you’ve earned your PE license? What is your ultimate career goal?
For the longest time getting my PE has been a main career goal; I think I’ll take a minute to enjoy this milestone in my career before I fully decide my next goal. That said, I’ve recently had the opportunity to take on a deputy project manager role on a couple projects which has been great experience to be more involved on the client-facing side of the project work and interactions. I also have a passion for all things technology, especially those that are computer-based. I look forward to seeing new technologies develop and emerge over my career that allow the real world to be simulated in the “virtual world”, and how the “virtual world” can be used to rapidly simulate new and changing conditions to better understand and aid in design of projects back in the real world – providing ever increasing benefit to people and the environment.
Which projects are you currently working on? What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on?
Projects I’m currently working on usually seem too many to count. Over the past year or so I’ve really been enjoying helping with many projects across the Pacific Northwest with notable large-scale projects including the King County Interbay Forcemain replacement and rehabilitation, and the Sunriver, Sunnyside, and Yelm wastewater treatment plant upgrade projects. For many of these projects I’ve enjoyed performing a variety of hydraulic modeling and simulation to inform our design decisions, as well as assisting with civil, mechanical, and process design aspects of these projects.
What advice do you have for others pursuing their PE license?
In general, try to take the test as soon as you are eligible – you may be surprised at how much information from other engineering disciplines you have forgotten when you don’t work/practice in those fields daily! For the test itself I think everyone needs to approach preparation in their own way, which requires knowing how you learn and study best. For me, it was sheer force of will to take an hour or two nearly every day for about 3 months to work through hundreds of practice problems. Becoming familiar with your reference material is also key; you don’t need to remember how to do everything, just where to find the information you need rather efficiently. It also helps to have a few friends and co-workers who are also studying for the exam so you don’t feel like you have to go at it alone – and it helped to have others to ask questions and advice, take practice exams, stay motivated, and share a collective sense of pain and suffering during the preparation and joy when many of us passed!
Marcus Vassey
Marcus joined the Puyallup Water group in 2019. He graduated from Washington State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering?
Two things inspired me growing up in the Pacific Northwest.
1. The natural beauty of the area, from the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean there is no end to the beauty of the PNW.
2. The structures that worked harmoniously with the land, whether it be North Cascades Highway or the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. These two inspirations led me to either be a park ranger or a civil engineer. I’m glad I chose the latter.
What is your next career goal now that you’ve earned your PE license? What is your ultimate career goal?
I’m just happy to not have to not have to worry about another COVID cancellation. With that said, my ultimate career goal is to take the best path to support my family and my work team, whether I end up an engineer or some type of management I am not set on one goal.
Which projects are you currently working on? What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on?
Having only been at Parametrix for a little over a year my list of options is relatively small, but the project share and overall determination displayed on the Joint Base Lewis-McChord North Access project was enjoyable. The project’s quick turn around and large size lent itself to introducing me to a lot of new people at the company I may not have gotten to know for many months or years.
What advice do you have for others pursuing their PE license?
Take your PE in the spring if you can, no one wants to study to in September.
Scott Weirich
Scott joined the Puyallup Water group in 2018. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 2012 with a PhD in Environmental Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from University of Colorado.
What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering?
I was always pretty good at technical stuff, and my dad was an engineer so it was a natural career choice. I was inspired to specifically pursue wastewater treatment by a desire to have a clear and positive impact on people’s health and standards of living. A dollar spent on wastewater treatment generally prevents a lot more money from having to be spent on public health, drinking water, and environmental remediation, and I wanted to be a part of that effort.
Which projects are you currently working on? What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on?
I’m currently working on construction support for the LOTT Biological Process Improvements project and writing evaluation reports for a couple of membrane pilot projects.
My favorite project so far is probably LOTT temporary disinfection because I got to work with the plant operators to troubleshoot issues with a somewhat new technology.
What advice do you have for others pursuing their PE license?
Do your studying for the test, but don’t make it a bigger deal than it is. It’s a test like so many we all took in school, and you passed those and got your degree. You can pass this one too.
