January/February 2017

Leading Insight
Kentucky PE Sees Leadership Success in Engagement and Professional Passion

Participation in formal courses is just one way that young professional engineers can boost their leadership skills. But take it from Jason Stith, P.E.—NSPE’s 2016 Young Engineer of the Year—becoming a better leader involves taking advantage of all opportunities to soak up knowledge and make professional connections that will open doors throughout your career.

There are two pieces of advice that I have found to be very powerful:


#1 Make sure you take time to do the important, but not-urgent tasks. 


#2 Do the little things no one else wants to do.

– JASON STITH, P.E.

Stith, a civil engineer at Michael Baker International who holds a doctorate from the University of Texas, recently shared his insights with PE about how the right amount of engagement and mentoring can help young engineers advance.

PE: What do you love about being 
an engineer?

Stith: The thing I love most about being a structural engineer is the pride I get when I drive over one of the bridges I have designed. That is a very real and tangible gratification.

PE: What inspired you to pursue licensure?

Stith: My father and uncle were both professional engineers. From an early point in my college career, I made it a personal goal to obtain my PE license. It is one of my professional highlights to this day to have passed the exams, met all the requirements, and received my rubber stamp.

PE: What career challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?

Stith: I wanted to live in a small-market state (Kentucky), but I also wanted to make sure I wasn’t pigeonholed into that singular market. To ensure this does not happen, I have maintained my collegiate contacts, which are located throughout the nation. I have worked on national technical committees and national conference committees to get exposure and network more broadly so that I can keep an eye on national trends and opportunities.

PE: You are a 2014 graduate of the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers’ Leadership PE program. What lessons did you learn during that program? How have you used these lessons?

Stith: The KSPE Leadership PE program is one of the greatest value-added benefits for any member that participates. The array of courses and lessons are tremendously valuable, but probably the best part of the program is the connections and friends that are made, which opens doors throughout the state. While we are a profession of numbers and equations, the human element will always remain the most important part of our jobs.

PE: As a leader within your company and the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers, what are you doing to help young engineers?

Stith: Mentoring and being mentored are extremely important. I try to actively seek out individuals who can provide the advice and guidance on how to progress within my career. On the flip side of this, I have looked for individuals that would benefit from my experience and try to provide insights that can benefit their careers.

PE: What’s the best piece of career or leadership advice that you’ve received from a mentor or colleague?

Stith: There are two pieces of advice that I have found to be very powerful: (1) Make sure you take time to do the important, but not-urgent tasks. These tasks are easy to procrastinate and forget about, because our brain tells us to put out all the fires around us, lest we get burned. But, if we are conscientious about doing important not-urgent tasks, we will make noteworthy progress. (2) Do the little things no one else wants to do. This can be a task within a project or it could be filling the printer with paper.

PE: If there’s a young engineer who is thinking about leaving the profession, how would you convince him or her to not give up?

Stith: The first thing I would tell them is to look around and find engineers outside their department or company—KSPE or other state organizations are a great place to network with local engineers. Talk to peers to determine if the lack of desire is due to the project, company culture, manager, or client. These can be changed with a discussion with your boss or a move to a different company. However, I always tell people I mentor to follow their passions. I love bridges and I’m fortunate to be able to work in an industry I’m passionate about. But if a young engineer determines that mission work in the Congo or opening a pet-friendly bed and breakfast will make them jump out of bed every morning, I’d say, “Follow your passions!”

Nominate a Rising Star

NSPE’s Young Engineer of the Year award recognizes a young NSPE member who has made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and the community during the early years of his or her career. The deadline is January 31, 2017. Learn more at www.nspe.org/awards.