Meet Stephen Beavan, PE, an avid land development engineer who recently joined our Site/Civil Engineering team as a Project Manager. We interviewed Stephen to discover more about his journey to becoming a civil engineer, his musings on alternative career paths, and what famous comedian he would like to spend a day with.
Why did you want to become an engineer?
To say that I planned for this role would be a glorification of what started as strong math, organizational, and problem-solving skills – and ended as a panicked college application checkbox.
But as my college years progressed, and even now as my non-academic years pass by without fanfare, I’m more resolute than ever in my commitment to engineering. I work to support outreach programs connecting high schools with the industry, and connecting college students with their future professional community. Problem-solving will always be in demand if not necessarily always appreciated, and I’m hopeful that this generation can nurture our future engineers to help us continue to tackle problems like climate resiliency.
If you weren’t an engineer, what career would you like?
I know it’s still an engineer, but I’ve always wanted to be the person who fits your FJÄLLBO television stand into a box that’s somehow smaller than a pair of skis.
If I really couldn’t be an engineer, then I would have liked to be a lawyer (To all lawyers: Trust me, I hear your collective “No you don’t!”). They always know the right thing to say at the right time. But it only would have worked out if the power of the double-negative turned me saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, into divine eloquence. Alas.
What is your favorite quote?
As I’ve gone through my career, I’ve held onto what I’ve titled ‘Wisdoms’ – phrases I managed to scribble down when they struck me as worthwhile. Not all of them are ‘quotes’ per se (“Always revisit assumptions you've made.” –KT), and it’s been so long since I’ve taken the time to write things down that upon review of my list, some of them strike me as strange choices for memory (“Don’t forget about things in construction.” –CV. As if I ever could, CV!).
My favorite professional quote was memorable when I heard it from a former CEO, and the years since have given me a new appreciation for the reality of the words.
“The three most important people in your life: your parents, your spouse, and your supervisor. Your parents, you don’t choose. Your spouse, you sort of choose. Your supervisor, you should choose.” - DG
Your favorite moment of the day is…
When the last dish has been washed and everything is in order. I admittedly don’t make it there every day, just as I don’t wake up to watch the sun rise every day. But when I do, it’s the best.