Career Path Spotlight: Kelly Young
At AECOM, employees are encouraged and supported to pursue career paths that best fit their unique capabilities, interests, and aspirations. Our Career Path Spotlight series takes you through the rewarding career journeys of our employees who have stepped out of their comfort zone and taken on new challenges to chart their own successful careers and growth.
This time, we connected with Kelly Young, lead bridge engineer based in South Carolina, to learn how she progressed in the technical excellence career path.
Hi Kelly. What do you do for AECOM?
As the lead bridge engineer for South Carolina, I’m currently working on exciting innovations in bridge design, including high fidelity 3D bridge models. I have been with AECOM for 13 years and I live in Greenville, South Carolina, with my husband, two children and our dog.
Tell us about your journey and how you got here.
I began my career as a bridge inspector for AECOM in Atlanta after graduating from Georgia Institute of Technology. I spent one year doing bridge inspections, gaining hands-on experience, learning about bridge elements and the different types of failures and deterioration.
My first major milestone was completing my first full bridge design. This project was a key initial step in moving from inspector to engineer. I was the youngest engineer in the group, tasked with designing and planning production for the bridge. The project had a tight deadline, so I had to learn quickly and work efficiently. We submitted the final design and plans on time, and I saw my first bridge design being built just a few months later. That was my first big step to becoming a bridge engineer.
I also found a great mentor in Chris Johnson, my manager in Atlanta. He guided me through my career not only technically, but also with balancing work and home life.
With a growing interest in design, I took on the role of engineer. That’s when my foot stepped on the gas — my technical career took off and has not slowed down since. I focused on bridge repair, working on everything from minor joint replacement and spall repairs to deck replacements, strengthening methods for structural components and developing numerous hydraulic bridge-jacking designs.
Working on a variety of project types greatly expanded my technical knowledge in the bridge design field. I also had the opportunity to manage smaller tasks and test my knowledge by teaching junior staff.
Then, my husband and I relocated to South Carolina, and after 10 years of being in a bridge engineering support role, I became the lead bridge engineer in South Carolina. My role shifted from a singular focus on production to leading tasks and signing and sealing plans. This experience created an opportunity to innovate the bridge design process and push our current capabilities forward.
What was a career defining moment for you?
My career defining moment is currently in the making. I’m working with a team to create a high fidelity 3D bridge model per specific client standards. Once complete, this model will be fully adaptable to any project location based on the most used bridge elements, drastically reducing the time it takes for the layout, detailing and potential rework of the bridge.
Computational design and parametric modelling have the potential to spark a major shift in transportation services. We have the chance to raise the current standard and pave the way for a new era of bridge design.
What’s something you wish someone told you years ago?
Don’t be afraid to ask. Not just about needing help with a problem you can’t solve or where to find resources, but with bigger things as well. If you want to try something new within the scope of AECOM, ask. You don’t have to do just one type of work. AECOM offers a whole world of opportunity.
If not this path, what would have been your career plan B?
I would be a softball coach. I still get the opportunity to take my daughter to Georgia Tech softball games and watch my former teammate coach, but if I wasn’t an engineer, I’d be out there too. Go Jackets!
