Beyond the Toy Box: Building a Wider Base for the Profession

To view the figures and tables associated with this article, please refer to the flipbook above.

During a recent dinner party, a 4-year-old boy was given the hosts’ grandchild’s toy box. The young boy immediately dug out the colored blocks of various sizes and shapes and started stacking them. Soon his older sister came over, and in typical sibling fashion, applied external lateral forces to knock the block tower over. Interestingly, shortly after the sibling “windstorm” died down, she was also immersed in block building and joined her brother in creating interesting structures.

At first these masterpieces were tall and slender, but as the children repeatedly encountered the phenomenon of slenderness vs. stability, they began to widen the base of their towers. Like all good engineers, they continued to be inspired by the opportunities and stacked the blocks as if aiming for the sky. With each wobbly collapse they adapted their approach until they achieved a single, jointly constructed tower that reached for the clouds. Their adaptations included buttress elements and ever-widening bases while balancing width to height.

In their endeavors, these young kids highlight an innate mindset many of us start with--that of the inner engineer. Taking this innate desire to build, the two turned sibling rivalry into collaborative design as they worked together to complete the towering coup-de-gras.
Our budding engineers highlight some fundamentals of structural engineering in today’s marketplace. Engineering is complex; stability must outweigh slenderness but can be married with aesthetics. Engineering is challenging; the rigor of design criteria, such as external forces and the pressure of competition add stress to our workdays. Engineering can be inspiring; the two remained focused in building blocks while their parents held “boring” conversations with neighbors. Importantly, they showed that engineering is best done with a spirit of collaboration.
As we grow and choose career paths, we put away the simple blocks and undertake ever increasing levels of difficulty in our studies and practice. In our efforts, we learn that engineering is not as simple as stacking blocks. We also observe that for some, the blocks can be barriers more than inspiration, and for others the lack of access to blocks is isolating. In this observation the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) seeks a “big sibling” role in knocking down these stumbling blocks while helping empower the inner engineer to build inspirational towers along an individual’s career pathway.

In 2020, SEAOC launched an initiative focused on capturing and empowering the spirit of our inner engineers. This initiative came about when a group of colleagues reacted to Northern California’s (SEAONC) and NCSEA’s SE3 (Structural Engineering Equity and Engagement) efforts to understand what early and mid-career professionals shared as stumbling blocks to their personal and professional growth. The SEAOC SE Pathways to the Profession Program, supported by SEAOC’s four member organizations—SEAONC (Northern California), SEAOSC (Southern California), SEAOCC (Central California), and SEAOSD (San Diego)—and over 35 firms and individual donors, is an effort to strengthen the future of structural engineering by expanding access, opportunity, and engagement for the next generation of professionals.
The program engages university students and early-career professionals through the Pathways Cohort at the annual SEAOC Convention. The convention cohort has now been successfully implemented at four major events: the 2022, 2024, and 2025 SEAOC Conventions and the 2023 NCSEA Summit. Each year, the SE Pathways Program brings together approximately 25 university students and 25 early career professionals to attend the SEAOC convention, connect with peers and industry leaders, and participate in workshops designed to support their growth and success. Over 125 individuals have applied for the most recent Pathways cohorts.

Like many technical professions, structural engineering can be filled with silos, often self-inflicted when our heads are down focused on details and schedule. In these silos, isolation can often be overburdening, leading many to seek other opportunities. The SEAOC SE Pathways program is designed to broaden participation and retain individuals in the profession by breaking these traditional silos and opening doors.

The core principles of SE Pathways are intentionality, inclusion, engagement, mentorship, and retention. A key program goal is to create life-long enthusiasm for each individual’s chosen career.

A dedicated Pathways planning team, working with the SEAOC convention committee, prioritizes pairing participants in the cohort with experienced professionals to allow for small group mentorship. This includes a welcome reception and cohort breakfast and at least two dedicated workshops for the participants. Each of these is crafted from conversations and feedback from early career professionals and offers insight from those paving the way for future professionals.

The workshops focus on how to navigate entry into the profession, touching on topics such as stress, burnout, building technical competency and good work ethic, and communicating with managers. The first workshop is typically structured with presentations followed by small peer-to-peer roundtable conversations which can then be collectively shared with the larger group. The second workshop includes a facilitated panel discussion with industry leaders who share how they have confronted issues discussed in the first workshop. All programming decisions are aimed at creating a unique and supportive experience for participants, including exposure to industry trends, advancements in research and technology, and celebration of structural engineering excellence.

However, the most important focus is empowering cohort members to engage their peers and engineering colleagues regardless of the number of years of experience and to embrace the notion that the early relationships formed at events such as a technical summit are those that will sustain them as they build a strong and lasting career path of their choosing.

The SEAOC Pathways Program encourages mid-career professionals to connect back to college or high school settings where stories can be shared with aspiring engineering students. Many convention cohort attendees end up joining the Pathways planning committee, driven by a desire to give back. We make an effort to stay connected with our cohort members to encourage contributions to technical committees and a broadening professional community throughout their careers.

NCSEA member organizations can use the SEAOC Pathways model to create their own sustainable change. Creating a legacy requires collective action within member organizations and contributions from industry professionals. It begins with champions, a dedicated committee, and powerhouse individuals who will advocate for and support the program.

For SEAOC, a clear vision for the group with defined goals, targeted deliverables with reasonable timeframes allowed for mini celebrations as each accomplishment or milestone was met. This vision and planning are essential to the program’s success. It is equally critical to draw on a diverse group of motivated contributors excited to bring personal perspectives and stories in championing the efforts. In this diversity, SEAOC was able to provide conversations and opportunities that impacted each participant where they were on their individual paths, rather than attempting to harness generic content expecting cohort members to “fit into the industry norm.”

Together the team of advocates, committee members, and supporters develops comprehensive programing and a strategic plan to secure funding and resources. Building strong partnerships with schools, universities, and industry leaders amplifies the program’s influence, creating a ripple effect that extends beyond an organization’s traditional boundaries. Each year, the committee chairs in conjunction with the organization’s leadership should encourage colleagues to share ideas for strengthening the workforce. These ideas become strategies for developing Pathways programing. Additionally, new contributors, often previous cohort members, with minimum exposure to professional organizations are invited to consider leadership roles for tasks. These individuals are paired with champions and past leaders to receive support in cultivating trust, managing task lists, and maintaining engagement, and accountability.

A commitment to continuous improvement through feedback and evaluation ensures the program’s impact on the profession and wider community is profound and lasting. Through these collective efforts the SEAOC SE Pathways Program supports individuals in not just building structures, but in transforming the very foundation of our profession for generations to come.

If you have been around the authors enough, you have likely heard the phrase “we will retire from a fantastic career in structural engineering, but the profession we retire from will not be ours, it will be the profession of those following us.” This phrase is a hallmark of the SEAOC Pathways Program which seeks to ensure the profession we all retire from, regardless of retirement date, is as rich and fulfilling as the profession we entered as excited new graduates.
Ensuring a fulfilling career for the next generation means stepping into the “big sibling” role today. Whether you choose to establish a Pathways program in your local section, volunteer your time to guide a young engineer, or provide the financial backing needed to sustain these initiatives, your involvement matters. Let’s work together to leave behind a profession that is stronger, more diverse, and more collaborative than the one we entered.

Leaders of member organizations wishing to introduce a similar program to their region are encouraged to watch the short SEAOC Pathways documentary, where filmmaker Anne Colton interviews cohort participants and contributors to the program at the 2023 NCSEA Summit, hosted in Anaheim, California. They are encouraged to contact the authors for further inquiries and resources ■

About the Authors

Kenneth O’Dell, SE, is a principal with MHP, where he manages design and seismic renovation projects while providing staff guidance in design, coordination, project management, and construction support. Since joining MHP, O’Dell has undertaken several hundred projects as Engineer-of-Record with recent significant work in community college and K-12 markets.

Natalie Tse, SE LEED AP, is an associate at IDA Structural Engineers with experience in educational, commercial/retail, residential, science and technology sectors. Tse is the co-founder of SE3 (Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity), a national committee formed to study and address issues of employee engagement, equity, and retention, and an ambassador to the SEAOC SE Pathways initiative.

References

For in-depth SE3 information and resources see the SE3 publications at https://www.se3committee.com/publications and http://www.se3project.org/seaonc-se3-publications.html

SEAOC Pathways documentary: https://youtu.be/KEpWrtws_Ak?si=5XS04Z0BVNDnkHpe