Land Surveyor Blogs

This is my first time on this forum and my first blog post so bear with me.  One thing I have learned about myself is that my perfectionism can get in the way.  On that note, I decided recently to take a different tact.  There is a book which talks about this phenomenon (among other invaluable topics) called Atomic Habits, by James Clear.  The author also writes about it on his website (at https://jamesclear.com/repetitions) in an article entitled, "Why Trying to Be Perfect Won't Help You Achieve Your Goals (And What Will)".   So I am now trying living by John C. Maxwell's quote, "Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward".   So without further ado, here is a little bit about me.

Construction and engineering have always been an integral part of my life. Throughout my teens, I worked for my uncle’s construction company (Dan Collins Concrete) in Klamath Falls, Oregon as a laborer and a finisher. This led to other opportunities such as remodeling houses for Derek Van Der Werf, a property manager in Tempe, Arizona who had previously contracted my father for some concrete work (Concrete by Dave, http://concretebydave.com/).  I also worked as a finisher and a laborer for my Dad's company.  He started the company after the 2007 stock market crash and I was his first recruit, even looking at jobs for estimates and coding his website in HTML and CSS.  At this point, I knew I had a passion for learning and growing so that I could help build a better future. I could take the skills I learned from construction and apply them to local and global projects. This is the reason why I pursued my bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University (Graduation: May 2017).

During junior year, I had a summer Transportation Engineering Internship at AECOM in 2016.  Given my decade of experience in residential/commercial construction, I became a Heavy Civil Highway Construction Inspector at Raba Kistner. In the last three years, I worked on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway Expansion Project. For me, this project taught me the importance of soft skills. Throughout the process, I collaborated with various parties such as subcontractors, agencies (e.g. ADOT, EPA, and SRP), and tribal members in addition to my colleagues at Raba Kistner. All in all, I learned that soft skills like communication and adaptability are imperative to complete projects within a timely manner.  I was also able to attain my Engineer in Training (EIT) certification by passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam, along with several others (e.g. ACI, ATTI, ATTSA certifications).  As a life-long learner, I have continued to develop myself. In February 2020, I passed the Land Surveyor in Training (LSIT) exam. After gaining some essential surveying experience, I hope to take the PS exam so I can become a Registered Land Surveyor.  In the long run, I think it would be great to become a Registered Professional Land Surveyor and a Professional Engineer.  The tools, knowledge, and resources gained along the way will help me provide more value, a higher quality of life, and a sense of meaning/purpose/fulfillment to myself, my loved ones, and society at large.

I am writing this post amid a situation of socioeconomic uncertainty and turbulence brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.  The economy was booming before the current state of affairs and I hope it continues to do so in order that people can get (and stay) on the right track towards betterment of themselves and others.  In these times, it is important to connect, innovate, hustle, adapt, and motivate.  That is, we need to lift ourselves and those around us up and strive for a better future.  A future of more equal socioeconomic opportunity.  A future more resilient and less fragile.  If you want to connect you can reach me via LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wyatt-collins-eit-lsit-9085204b/. 

As of April 2020, I am looking for a new career opportunity.  I am currently residing in Tempe, Arizona where my girlfriend is finishing her degree in Aerospace Engineering (1 year left).  If you have any questions or leads, feel free to reach out!