Devon Lumbard

Culture:

I believe the culture here provides an atmosphere where self-motivated people are encouraged to be the best engineers in the world. Everyone at Degenkolb works as a member of a team; and the company recognizes and promotes the importance of life-long learning. The fact that it will pay for our time and registration fees for us to go to seminars and other professional development activities proves this.

The hours I work on any given day are relatively flexible. I like to vary my schedule depending on my other commitments, the particular project requirements, and the demands of an engineering class I teach at Portland State University. Degenkolb supports my schedule and gives me the freedom and responsibility to manage my own schedule, which allows me to complete all my project goals on time.

Your Career:

When I considered several engineering firms after graduate school, I focused on a company that mirrored my own philosophy of engineering. Above all, I wanted to avoid working for a company that felt engineering should be just procedural and routine. In other words, I didn’t want one that simply applied spreadsheets and computer programs to every problem with little engineering judgment or problem-solving requirement. Degenkolb expects its engineers to exercise critical thinking and engineering judgment from the very beginning of their careers.

Your Passions:

To me, an engineer is above all a problem-solver. I love the process of first studying the problem, and then using my knowledge and a little creativity to come up with the right solution. As an engineer at Degenkolb, I’m tasked with some challenging assignments, and I feel I’m lucky to be able to rely on as much assistance as I need from other engineers to solve them.

I think it’s easy to stay excited when you are doing what you love to do. There is always something different about each project that continuously keeps this job interesting. Plus, I get to work with a group of outstanding engineers that feel the same way. I wake up each morning looking forward to coming to work at Degenkolb - that makes it a very important part of my life.

On the Job:

One of my most interesting experiences was actually working day-to-day for a month at a project site during the construction phase. The project had a tight timetable that required an engineer to be on-site at all times, both to make sure everything was done correctly and to immediately answer any questions the contractor might have. I was able to see everything I had helped design in the office as it was installed. This gave me an appreciation of the contractors’ perspective and his problems, and helped me understand how to make my designs easier to implement in the field.