Articles / May 27, 2025

The Joy of Watching Engineers Graduate and Take the Next Step

I’ve been privileged to lead the senior class at Valparaiso University through the two-semester Senior Design Course for civil and environmental engineers for the last five years. This gives me the opportunity to experience what our future engineers are thinking. Granted, I only interact with 20 or so engineering students each year, so my observations are based on a small representative population. But, as I have said in previous columns, it’s rewarding to come to know and understand what this generation has to offer. Being part of the preparation for their professional lives ahead is a responsibility that my fellow professors and I take very seriously.

In addition to learning “everything you need to know about engineering,” these seniors are facing some difficult issues, which is why our professors post their office hours—not only for help with homework assignments. Here’s a short list of topics the students are concerned about: relocation, lack of experience, financial independence, career direction, graduate degree or not, feeling underprepared, missing their friends, and F.E. and P.E. exams.

I was never formally trained in advising young adults regarding most of these issues, but it has become an important part of teaching senior engineers. So, we professors do our best and use our experiences to help prepare and reinforce confidence. It’s often challenging for me to provide meaningful information for our students, but there are rewards that make me think we’re educating engineers in a positive manner.

The following are some actual events from the last year—some serious and some just fun:

• One of our senior project teams won the state presentation competition at the American Society of Civil Engineers Indiana Annual Meeting. They were surprised; I was not. Their company (team) name is OKAE Engineering—made up of first initials of their names. They started the presentation with an explanation and then their motto: “It will probably work.” The audience loved it.

• On a field visit to one of the project sites, I listened to a carload of them talking about everything except the field trip—some of those aforementioned topics plus friendly banter about fellow students and professors. We did, however, observe construction work along the way.

• Visits to my office to ask advice about job interviewing and negotiating starting salary packages (one of the topics I do feel qualified talking about).

• On Valentines Day, a student brought flowers for everyone and another brought cupcakes. And at the end of the year, the class organized a cookout. Who does that?

• I’ve had some colleagues come in to talk to the class about their careers. I think students deserve to hear how diverse a career in civil engineering can be. There are always great questions, and they always ask the guests if there’s something they should know about their professor—good or bad. I just leave the room …

Senior Assignments

The course requires a series of reports and presentations throughout the year. It’s rewarding to see the improvement in content, writing style and presentation skills. In addition to the technical expertise gained in designing various parts of a project, this is what we emphasize.

Each year, our dean of the College of Engineering makes it clear to our students that during their time at school we maintain the professional separation of teacher and student. But once they graduate (actually, as soon as grades are turned in), the students become our colleagues, and we should be addressed by our first name. Some find difficulty in doing this, saying we’ll always be professors to them, even though they will refer to us by last name when we’re not around.

Another assignment, due at the end of the course, is to compose a reflection paper describing how they thought they performed individually and as a team. I love reading these. Almost all students get 10 out of 10, not just because they turned it in but because they’re remarkably insightful and honest. It’s one of the rewarding times when they repeat something they learned in my class.

Next Gen

I know these stories are personal and may not suit everyone, but to watch young engineering students move from classroom to workplace is one of the most rewarding events you can witness. It’s a bonus to be able to enjoy the real lives of 20-year-olds. These are the engineers who are going to figure out how to use AI in their work—just like how we learned to use computers in my career.

I encourage you to interact and guide this generation—they will be taking over our responsibilities before we know it. Besides, other than on the golf course, where else can a retired civil engineer be as happy as I am?

About Robert Schickel

Robert Schickel was born in New Jersey and received his BS in Civil Engineering degree in 1971 from Valparaiso University in Indiana. His career started as a bridge design engineer and expanded to include design of various transportation facilities, including highways, bridges, rail lines and stations, and airport runways. Mr. Schickel managed engineering offices ranging from 20 to 140 people. He also served as a consultant to a large utility company.

Mr. Schickel currently resides in Indiana and serves as Adjunct Professor for the College of Engineering at Valparaiso University. He enjoys his retired life at his lake house, playing golf, listening to music and spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.