Hulya Kayir

Life/Culture at Degenkolb

One unique aspect of working at Degenkolb is that you’re surrounded by a wealth of knowledge. I’m not just talking about the well stocked company library, but the large number of engineers who are considered experts in our field. Their expertise comes not only from experience, but also from participating in various code committees and engineering organizations. Professional involvement is part of Degenkolb’s culture and employees at any level are encouraged to participate.

Your Career:

Is there something different about Degenkolb when it comes to being a good match for your career and your career goals?
During my interview, I was told to view working at Degenkolb as “not a job, but a career”. It was not until later that I fully grasped the meaning of this statement. Degenkolb encourages their employees to go beyond the day-to-day responsibilities of a job and become involved in other arenas of structural engineering. These include involvement in code development, in-house committees, professional organizations, and the mentoring of younger engineers. In addition, the firm promotes attendance of seminars, conferences, and networking events to keep engineers current with the market. It turns out; a job is a way to make a living, whereas a career entails the professional development of a person in the pursuit of becoming successful. I know that every day I spend here allows me to grow technically and professionally, enabling me to become a well-rounded structural engineer.

Your Passions:

My passions, without a doubt, are traveling, food, and sports. I try to plan at least one trip every year to a destination where I can be a tourist and sample the local cuisine without worrying about nutritional facts. Last year I traveled to England and Scotland for a week. During my stay, there was plenty of pub food, a good concert, and surprisingly no rain. For shorter weekend getaways, I try to take advantage of the 4 cabins Degenkolb provides all along the west coast. To satisfy my love of sports, I either talk my colleagues’ ears off about college football, or participate in our company softball and soccer teams.

On the Job:

While working on one of our projects in Lima, Peru, I was asked to gather information on the seismicity of the country. My principal gave me the name of a civil engineering professor from a university in Lima and asked me to contact him. I emailed the contact and within a day I received a friendly response with all of the information I needed. I decided to email a good friend from graduate school, who is also Peruvian, to tell him that I was working on a project in his hometown. Through back and forth emails, we eventually realized that the professor was his father’s close friend. My friend had known the professor since he was a child. It goes to show you just how small the world of engineering can be.