T-Square Dad's Brown Bag
Professional practice and parenthood can be challenging. As a father, a husband and an architect we embrace the challenge but we understand how difficult it is to navigate through these obligations. In this podcast we focus our discussion and base our opinion from a father's perspective. The T-Square Dad's podcast will focus our experience, reading habits, lesson's learned while practicing architects and how the practice impacts our daily life as a father. We will also focus on how technology impacts our profession and how the lack of experts and training fails our profession. We hope that our podcast bring value to others and is a constant reminder of how life can change quickly and impact us all and our profession.
T-Square Dad's Brown Bag
#031 - I didn't know what to do afterwards - An Engineer's Story
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Welcome to our podcast. If you're new to our podcast, the podcast was created by two Architect that felt they needed to share their experience and hardships not only in our profession but in life and family.
On today's episode we invited Carminda (Mindy) Day. She works with Schmidt Consulting Group Inc. and now the new IMEG. She is a licensed engineer and she specializes in mechanical engineering. Graduated from the University of Alabama. Licensed in the State of Florida.
Grab a seat and some coffee and take a few minutes to join us in our podcast.
If you guys have any questions or comments please reach out to us at our Facebook pages or via email.
Audio file
Podcast #31 - I didn't know what to do afterwards - An Engineer's Story.mp3
Transcript
Welcome to the T ^2 dad's Brown Bag podcast. Here's your host, Kyle Baker and Dieter Burrell.
It's Carmen today, but everyone knows me as Mindy.
So I've been going by Mindy my whole life.
I actually tried to start going by Carmen a couple of.
Years back and it didn't stick so.
The mistake I know you by by Mindy.
Thank you for coming to our podcast.
And I wanted to bring you in so that my listener.
To to to each one of you guys that are that come on to the podcasts now.
Mindy, you work for an engineering company and you.
And yeah, I'll just, I'll give you my my background.
So I actually started going to the University of Florida and Gainesville for architecture.
So then I was kind of lost and was like, what am I?
Well, I've always done drafting computer aided, drafting.
After I didn't make the pin up, I was like, OK, I guess I'm just going to go into drafting.
So I went and got my degree in both architectural and mechanical drafting and design.
So I have two design degrees drafting and design degrees, and that's kind of where I started.
So after I got those degrees, I.
Of course, put in applications to both engineering and architecture firms.
I decided I'm going to go back to school for engineering.
And I I only had to go to Tuscaloosa for labs.
So, you know, every semester I had to go up there two or three times.
Wednesday or Thursday and middle of the week to go up there and do my labs and.
Get that handled so that took.
So I had all the math English and all that the basics.
So theoretically it should have only took me two years to to finish the engineering degree but.
My yeah, to finally get my engineering degree.
And I did that again while working full time at Schmidt and.
Then yeah, December 2019 is when I graduated.
And yeah, so super, super excited to finally be an engineer after all that time.
Not only that, but where you're working.
You're working and taking care of the kids and everything else and in.
You know what to do with myself after I was done with school.
So busy coming home every night, doing lectures and homework.
And you know, math every single night of my life for four years.
So then you got your degree and then you kind of kept working and.
When did you get your license?
So I got my first license actually through Maryland because.
At that point, I had 10 years of experience, right?
And mayor, there's a couple of states, Maryland, Colorado.
Years prior to your graduation date as experience.
So I went and got my I went past the first.
The fundamental of engineering test.
I took that passed it, and then I waited.
A few months later, took the professional engineering test.
And then immediately got my applied for the Maryland license.
Again, we do a lot of DoD work, so they with the DoD, they don't care where your license is.
You can sign and seal with any state.
That was helpful for what we do.
So I think it was last December when I could finally get my Florida license.
So I just got my Florida license, December of last year.
To get the license that you go through like a reciprocity or test.
But at that point I have a Maryland license and.
Obviously passed the exams, so all of that is what led me to getting finally my Florida license.
And every year from from, like community colleges.
So I know how crazy it can be.
The certain universities and they're.
You know, requirements to go to the next level.
But and honestly, I think it probably work.
Well, that and you know you guys.
Have to work the long hours and pull everything together.
Now when you went to Alabama and I know it was probably just like maybe like.
Or was it like a week event or something like that?
It was mostly weekends, but there were a few.
Labs that were during the week.
Did you get to know anybody in in Alabama from other areas where they were doing the same?
There were people of all ages actually going back.
Since it was an online course, you know there were people.
In their 20s all the way up to their 60s going back for their engineering degree.
So it's pretty interesting, yeah.
Yeah, I bet it was interesting because I get.
And they become professionals.
I mean the the experience, you know, school doesn't teach you obviously what you need to know to.
You learn from experience, so it does.
You know, you're you're still learning every day.
If you know I've been in it 15 years.
I'm still learning every day so.
Experiences I would agree more important almost than educate.
And so you're so you're a native Pensacola, right?
Well, that that makes that makes a lot of sense.
So I I'm not originally from Pensacola, but my wife, her dad came here because of the Navy.
So when I met her, I kind of migrated to this area and.
I guess I've been here also a very long, long time.
How long have you been in Pensacola?
She's been here her entire life and I've been here almost a little over 20.
Three years, maybe 20/20/22 years, maybe 21, maybe 2120.
You can almost call yourself a local.
Now it's now it's a lot safer.
He says that I think he's been involved in some.
That's maybe, you know, maybe occurring here in this.
A lot of people are investing in statistically.
I feel like they're all moving to Santa Rosa and Escambia County.
There's where you live in Santa Rosa.
And you know, I live out by Whiting Field, it's farm country.
Farm country in Milton for three years I've already seen like 15 houses down my.
So your your specialty in engineering is?
What mechanical and plumbing or?
Mechanical Yep, HVAC and plumbing.
HVAC and plumbing and from and.
This is more from what I just heard just recently.
We are, yeah, we're we're moving today.
Week and yeah, we're we're relocating to the 11 papantonio building.
And on our new new address is 316 S baylin St.
Do some light shopping downtown and enjoy the restaurants.
I don't have to get my car that's going to be nice.
He just, he's an architect and uh, we we're trying to do this podcast together, but I'm.
I'm taking over just so that because he's been super.
He I know he works downtown and so he's got all those shops.
And I remember when I used to work downtown too, and it wasn't a walking distance.
You guys can have like a walking distance to everything, you know.
You know, we used to we we we used a couple of scooters to scoot around you guys.
The scooters do have, I just remember.
Someone hurt themselves and then all the scooters magically went away.
Yeah, I won't say who and how.
But they hurt themselves pretty good so but you.
Know now downtown has scooters you can rent so.
They got so many uh, what is it?
They say they have an area where you can't screw it.
But I still saw people doing it.
Well I tried using one of them and it was it kept shutting off and I kept pushing and I go.
Why isn't it letting me go down the sidewalk on Palafox?
And once I came off of Palafox, it turned back on like the power?
So it's like so maybe GPS thing that that it's got and and and they have they have it.
So it's kind of funny that they do have that but.
Well, thank thank you for for joining me.
This is going to be a short one.
Thank you for joining me and Mindy with Smith.
Has it been announced Schmidt Consulting?
Officially I, Meg now, correct?
Ohh and that's that's exciting.
For you, and thank you for being a part of this little podcast.
And I I hope people can kind of get a get an idea of Pat.
You gotta hit that goal and and and keep going for it.
And if you and if you want it, you know, and you have a full time job, you can still get it done.
Thank you, Mindy, again, for, for being part of the podcast.
Thanks for listening to the T ^2 dads Brown Bag podcast.
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