Barbara, would you recommend working for a government (DOT) or a private employer as a means to obtaining on-the-job training How about future business networking opportunities?

I actually began my career with DOT and went through their training program before taking a position in Bridge Design. While it was my lowest job offer at the time, it has paid dividends throughout the rest of my career. I got some good training, but also formed my business network by meeting so many people working at DOT. Those people I was working alongside rose up in the ranks and were later in decision-making position. The training program gave me the opportunity to learn the “DOT way” of things, which became valuable to private sector employers who had DOT contracts that I later worked for. DOT work became the bread and butter for starting my own business as well.

I like your idea of going to work for DOT first. They will be more accepting of investing in your training. Structure design of bridges (heavy structures) is very different from building structure design. But it would be good experience to get since there seems to be a push to increase funding of infrastructure. Just make sure you are building relationships while you are there as well as gaining technical experience, and within 3-5 years you could choose to transfer those skills to the private sector (or you may find you love working for DOT!). Furthermore, it’s typically more family-friendly, with little expectation for overtime and in general good benefits and time off.

Hope this helps.