When Jan Makula left the Canadian Armed Forces and moved back home to Kingston, he noticed many of his family members were enjoying careers as engineers. He figured his problem-solving skills would lend well to the profession and looked up local post-secondary programs.
He enrolled at St. Lawrence College in the advanced diploma Civil Engineering Technology program in 2017 and later found work placements locally with an engineering firm. Professors at St. Lawrence introduced him to a bridging program that would allow him to obtain an engineering degree in just three additional years following his college studies.
He enrolled at Queen’s in 2020, specializing in civil engineering.
The Smith Engineering Bridge program is designed for college students holding or completing advanced diplomas in Engineering Technology programs who wish to obtain a Smith Engineering degree after they graduate.
“The curriculum at Queen’s complemented what I learned at St. Lawrence by providing me with more of the background theory, the why, the how and the way you can derive this situation on your own from first principles,” says Makula. “My studies at Queen’s honed my communication skills, my writing, and my project management so I can go from creating a design to bringing it to life.”
He credits Professor Ana Maria da Silva’s River Engineering course as a learning highlight, a blend of “technical, nerdy stuff,” complicated mathematics, and strong real-world applications such as how to manage pollution-related issues in rivers.
It wasn’t just academics where Makula found strong support for his goals. He joined the varsity cycling team, building a support network that harkened back to the close bonds he shared in the military.
Following graduation, Makula became a design engineer for McElhanney, a multidisciplinary consulting firm based in British Columbia, which had previously hired him for a placement during his studies. Makula now works in land development on matters like water distribution, storm sewers and sanitation, road works, grading, and surface drainage. He’s planning to obtain his Professional Engineer certification as well as a project management certification.
“I can see myself going down the project management route and managing large projects from municipalities and private clients,” he says. “I really enjoy managing people and projects.”
Makula recommends the new Smith Engineering Bridge program, both as a way to scale up the college training and to establish a rich network of contacts which can help strengthen both career and life options.
“Going to Queen’s provided me with a network of classmates and friendships everywhere, even out west in Vancouver,” he says. “There is a Queen’s network of engineers all over the country and all over the world that I can draw on and reach out to.”
This article is relevant to the following Strategic Actions as defined in the Strategic Plan:
