Karthik Thota – Junior Engineer, Design Department

1. What led you to join Prudent Engineering, and what experience prepared you for your role as a Junior Engineer?

What attracted me to Prudent was the variety of services and the opportunity to gain experience in different areas of civil and transportation engineering, including highway design, bridge inspection, and construction inspection. My previous experience with NYSDOT Region 7, where I worked on roadway design using OpenRoads Designer and NYSDOT standards, gave me a strong foundation for the Junior Engineer role at Prudent.

2. As a Junior Engineer, how has mentorship from more experienced team members helped you grow professionally?

Working alongside experienced team members has given me the opportunity to learn from both design work and field experience. I’ve been out on numerous jobs and bridge inspections, and every project is different, which has helped me expand my knowledge, understand real world conditions better, and become more confident in applying what I’ve learned.

3. Having recently started your own career, what was it like taking Raelin Gott into the field and helping bridge the gap between the classroom and real-world engineering?

I really enjoyed the experience because I remember being in the classroom and learning concepts without always seeing how they apply in the field. Taking Raelin out for SWPPP inspections gave me the opportunity to show her how things can be different on an actual project, where there are site conditions, coordination, safety considerations, and other factors that you don’t always see in a classroom. It was also a good experience for me because explaining things to someone else reinforced my own understanding.

4. As a new engineer, how has your perspective changed since starting your career at Prudent Engineering?

My perspective has changed mainly through the variety of tasks and projects I’ve been assigned at Prudent, which have exposed me to new areas of transportation engineering, design, and field work. My previous engineering experience in India was quite different from the work here, especially with the standards, regulations, and design practices, so adapting to those differences has challenged me and helped me grow.

 5. What has been the most rewarding aspect of working with the Design Department team?

The most rewarding part has been getting exposure to so many different types of design work and software, which has helped me build a broader range of skills. Working with the Design Department has also given me the opportunity to learn from more experienced engineers and understand how different parts of a project come together.

 Raelin Gott – Design Department Intern

1. What have you learned so far during your internship, and what has surprised you most about working in the Design Department

I’ve learned much about both the inner administrative side of engineering and the field side of engineering. Billable hours are much more complicated than I thought, and there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that is done. I was surprised to find that there is a lot less math involved than we are led to believe in school.

2. When you had the opportunity to visit a project site and experience fieldwork firsthand, how did it compare to what you had learned in the classroom or expected before entering the engineering field?

It was a lot more simple, with a lot less talking to people and a lot more just checking things. I had thought that field visits would involve more communication with the construction workers, but we had always gone when there were few workers on site.

3. How has this internship influenced your understanding of the engineering profession or your future career goals?

It has confirmed that I am pursuing the right career. I see what the designers’ and surveyors’ daily lives are like, and I want to pursue that lifestyle and career after college.

4. What has been the most rewarding part of being part of the Prudent Engineering team?

Getting to make a change on the company, and work to improve it even after I am gone. I have worked hard with Miriam Gillett-Kunnath
Senior Administrative Coordinator to enhance the Prudent experience, and I have had the delight of working with design to increase my versatility with CAD programs.

5. What advice would you give to other students who are considering an engineering internship?

I would advise them to network. Especially in such a small world as engineering, good networking can be the difference between career paths. But getting the internship is only half the battle; you have to prove that you are worth bringing back. Leaving a good impression can lead to a job straight out of college.