Rebooting my career: embracing a second act

From a young age, I aspired to be an engineer. I pursued my bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Arizona State University (ASU), graduating in 2004. Soon after, I began my career in civil engineering focusing on water and wastewater master planning and arsenic treatment studies at a consulting firm.

I had my first child while I was in college. After embarking on my professional journey, I welcomed twins and later a fourth child. My family required my full attention, including homeschooling and other responsibilities, at a time when remote work was not as prevalent. This led to a necessary pause in my career.

My career break spanned 16 years, and I was uncertain about re-entering the engineering field or where to begin. The prospect of returning to work after such a long hiatus was daunting, but with the support of my family, I found a program designed for this very purpose. Despite my initial fear of getting back into the workforce, I applied to the Reboot Re-Entry Program, and it was a life-changing decision.

I rein­te­grated into the workforce seamlessly, feeling accepted and impressed by the profes­sional oppor­tu­ni­ties available to me from the start.

Since my career break in the 2000s, the world has transformed dramat­i­cally. The digital revolution has reshaped everything, and the career landscape has evolved in tandem. Despite the time away, I’ve always felt equipped with the confidence and resources to thrive in my new role. It feels like a lifetime ago that my career began and paused, but now I’m back, diving into envi­ron­men­tal engineering. The Reboot Re-Entry Program offers exposure to a variety of projects and teams. The support I received while training on diverse tasks was incredible. I rein­te­grated into the workforce seamlessly, feeling accepted and impressed by the profes­sional oppor­tu­ni­ties available to me from the start.

The program has been a game-changer for me, helping me find my footing again in the profes­sional world and on the pavement. I ran my first 5k with CDM Smith Cares benefitting Water For People and am grateful for how this company fosters an environment where people genuinely want to be involved in supporting and giving back to their communities. I have a competitive spirit, so I’m looking forward to improving my time in the next race. Through the Project Manager-in-Training program, I’m excitedly working towards my goal of becoming a project manager and earning my Project Management Profes­sional certi­fi­ca­tion. The supportive and continuous learning culture at CDM Smith has not only empowered me profes­sion­ally but has also profoundly impacted my family. Inspired by my journey, my children have followed in my footsteps of hard work and deter­mi­na­tion and two are now engineering students at ASU.

I can’t believe how my career has unfolded, and it’s been amazing to see my kids inspired by my passion and love for the work I do as I dive into this exciting second act.

Jody Sweeten is an environmental engineer in our Phoenix, Arizona office.