A Day-in-the-Life of a Building Engineer.
Three employees of AOBA member companies explain how they were introduced to building engineering, how they were educated and what they learn each day in the field.
Robert Hazell of Akridge in Washington, DC explains what he does as a building engineer, the mechanical skills involved and how his classes are being paid for by his company.
“I do a lot of computers, working with controls on the machinery we use, and troubleshooting so having that (mechanical) aptitude helps. I’m enrolled in a controls course right now; I’ve been taking classes since I started so it’s an ongoing process, learning new things as they advance.”
Albino Matir of Cushman and Wakefield shares his story of working his way up in the building operations field.
“There’s always going to be a problem and you have to find the solution. You have to know a little bit of everything, from changing a light bulb to cooling towers and pumps. (Advancing in the field requires) determination, the people you know, and being customer-oriented.”
Hans Pallominy describes why he loves being an engineer and the satisfaction he gets in his fun, exciting and diverse job.
“As an engineer, you’re not pinned down to one field — electricity, plumbing, mechanical. The day to day is a never-ending adventure, (because) it’s such a vast field….there’s always a challenge.”