Unexpected news brought Amanda Lovett to make a career change and pursue an engineering degree. Employed by a prominent building supply company, Lovett spent most of her time on the administrative side. When her husband was diagnosed with a rare, but fortunately treatable form of cancer with a good prognosis, Lovett still reevaluated certain aspects of her life and her career was one of them. “When I asked myself what I would want to do if I could go back and start all over, I remembered a training I went to through at my job where we were taught about calculating beam spans and building loads, and I remembered how much I enjoyed it. That’s what ultimately led me to pursue an engineering degree.”
Wanting to attend a school with a good reputation to ensure she could find a job after graduation led her to URI’s College of Engineering. “It kept popping up when searching for an engineering program in the Northeast. URI is ABET accredited, the campus was beautiful, and the COE’s reputation was highly regarded,” said Lovett.
Though her decision to enroll and change careers was made, didn’t mean everything else could be put on hold. Lovett still worked a full-time job while pursuing her degree in civil engineering. She managed a hectic schedule between work and the demands of the program, a challenge in maintaining her GPA. “I had to be meticulous with time management and had little spare time during the semester. Attending class was a must for me – I found that I got a lot out of the lectures which cut back on the time I needed to spend on material outside the classroom. Some classes were more difficult than others, but my professors were always there to help in these instances. I utilized the URI tutoring program during one semester and reached out to professors and TAs when I hit roadblocks,” said Lovett.
Being a nontraditional student, she does wish she had been able to take advantage of more opportunities that URI presents to students. “The IEP program is an incredible opportunity and the vast number of clubs and organizations for engineering students gives ample opportunity to explore the field before finding employment. It is something I always bring up when talking about URI’s COE program.”
This support from the engineering professors is what Amanda credits set her up for success. “I made important connections and was encouraged by my professors to pursue conventions that led to my employment after graduation. They were responsive and available when I needed them and always offered guidance.”
Her senior capstone project was designing a nine-hole golf course in Middletown, RI. She worked on the structural team, which was tasked with designing the clubhouse—a 10,000-square-foot building. Her specific contribution to the project involved designing the beam and column layout and sizes, designing the foundation with the geotechnical team, and constructing the drawings for the team’s design. “Our team, Coastline Consultants, was paired with Pare Engineering as our mentor firm for this project. Pare was a fantastic company to work with; their help was invaluable!”
As the project progressed, she got first-hand experience in the various stages of an engineering project and how different disciplines work together. She worked closely with the geotechnical team to design the foundation. “It was a challenging, but good experience in the end.”
“I made important connections and was encouraged by my professors to pursue conventions that led to my employment after graduation. They were responsive and available when I needed them and always offered guidance,” said Lovett.
After graduation, she will work as a structural engineer for Odeh Engineers. She met one of the company’s principals, David Odeh, when he guest lectured at one of her classes and again at a conference she attended at the encouragement from a couple professors. David presented some of the projects his company worked on. “I knew those were the types of projects I also wanted to work on. The lecture solidified what I wanted to do with my degree,” said Lovett. She worked hard to keep her GPA up so it would stand out on her resume. She also utilized the student success center and attended the COE career fair and made as many contacts as possible to have an accepted job offer before winter break. “I met with Lauren Creamer and got valuable advice from her on editing my resume, negotiating salary, and different approaches to reaching out to prospective employers.”
Moving forward, Lovett plans to obtain a master’s degree and PE licensure within the next five years.
