In honor of Engineers Week, we asked several professionals around the country to share their answers to the question: "What area of engineering did you start in and where are you now?"

Jose Pereira, Senior Project Manager, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Panama City, Florida

Before high school graduation, I set my mind to become a civil engineer, partly because I was good in science and horrible in humanities, but mostly because civil engineering at the time was one of the most well thought-of and popular careers overseas. After a few engineering classes in college, I realized that I did not want to be a structural nor electrical engineer (sorry, guys), and that Fortran programming and computer science were well over my head. After 29 years in this profession as a civil/environmental engineer,it looks like I made the right decision in high school!

Patrick Covil, Project Manager, Water Resources Engineering, Raleigh, North Carolina

I got an internship my senior year of college with the U.S. Geological Survey doing flood studies for eastern North Carolina. The internship was arranged by my favorite NC State professor: the late Dr. Rooney Malcom. That experience led me to my first job out of school doing hydrologic and hydraulic studies for North Carolina and FEMA. I bounced between stormwater design and flood studies before broadening into more general site design when I joined Dewberry in late 2016. I'm thankful to influential professors in my college days and mentors in my professional life for guiding me along this career path.

Sharon Freiland, Senior Project Manager, Stormwater Design, Lanham, Maryland

In high school, I loved chemistry, so I started as a chemical engineer, wanting to deal with air quality. However, when I got to college, I realized that it wasn't chemistry that I loved, but my high school teacher's way of presenting it. After spending a day with my roommate's dad asking him all about civil engineering, I had made my decision. I also pursued an environmental engineering minor, hoping to get a job working in water/wastewater transport systems after graduation. By August, I had my first interview, and, desperate for a job, when they asked if I was more interested in an environmental or stormwater position, I said "either." I was just hoping to get my foot in the door. What a great decision that was! Stormwater management for land development is way more interesting than how it was presented in school. That was almost 22 years ago, and I have never looked back. Sure, I've performed many land development duties like road and storm drain design, as well as sediment control and floodplain studies. But even after having to figure out this new LID/ESD (Low-Impact Development/Environmental Site Design) treatment, stormwater management is where my heart will always be!

Deji Ajose Adeogun, Senior Project Manager, Civil Engineering, Tallahassee, Florida

At the beginning of high school I did not like math. I thought it was horrible -- until I had a tutor who was an electrical engineer. When he explained it to me, it suddenly clicked, and I started to love math. It just goes to show, having a good teacher can make a difference. In high school I worked at the local department of Public Works doing odds and ends, including some surveying. That is how I got introduced to civil engineering.

In college I trained as a structural engineer. Then, when I got out of school, I ended up at a company that did gas line routing. I then went to a company doing site/civil and really enjoyed doing that. I ended up going back to do my masters, which I did in environmental/civil. I was always told that sometimes your first job will determine your civil engineering career. I'm glad that wasn't true for me. Now I focus on site/civil with an emphasis in stormwater design.

Grant Smith, Vice President, Resilience Solutions Group, Fairfax, Virginia

A love of math in high school and college got me started out. Since then, I have gotten to do all kinds of things in engineering through both the military and private sector. I spent 30 years in the military as a military engineer. One of my first jobs was leading a small group of soldiers in charge of atomic munitions demolitions (yes, small nuclear bombs!). I also ran an engineering company with a full range of capabilities, including an asphalt paving train. I designed and then oversaw the construction of remote combat airfields in Central America. I led a Corps of Engineers district executing all the missions the Corps has, including overseeing a $2 billion military construction program. While at Dewberry, I've focused more on water resources engineering and management rather than technical engineering. Engineers are the best people to work with (I'm biased), and that is why I have enjoyed my work for more than 45 years.