Welcome again to another episode of Engineer Your Success! Our Guest today is Chaz Weaver

In this episode, Chaz shares that there are different levels of learning for managers and that managers have a responsibility to cultivate the development of the people around them. But also associates engineers should also start to allow themselves to be trained. 

Chaz Weaver is the District Materials Engineer at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).  He has a passion for helping young engineers grow and thrive.

Let’s know more about Chaz! so with no further ado Let’s dive in!

[00:31 – 07:00] Opening Segment

• Chaz Weaver is a materials engineer with VDOT in the Stanton district.
• Chaz talks about his journey to becoming an engineer, including his interest in math and want to work on big projects.
• He went to Virginia Tech and got his BS in civil engineering.
• When it came time to look for jobs, VDOT was one of the top choices because of its range in Virginia.
• Chaz focuses on materials when he joined VDI as a trainee

[07:00 – 13:38] Trainees learn to communicate with different clients

• Trainees will get a summons to come to the office for a month of training.
• Some people will literally give you the spec book, sit you in a corner and say, “read that they don’t have time to do this right now, but here read this manual.”
• Managers have a responsibility to cultivate the development of their employees, and often don’t have the training or experience to do so.
• Trainees need to have their own motivation and take initiative to learn what they need to learn, but it’s also important for managers to be able to communicate with their employees in a way that

[13:39 – 22:00] Success Principles for Engineers

• The key to a successful career is understanding people and taking the time to be curious.
• Success principles for engineers include hard work, initiative, and open and honest communication with managers.
• Being an author means the speaker has taken the time to write something meaningful.

[22:01 – 25:14] Closing Segment

• Follow Chaz
•  links below
• Parting Notes

Resources Mentioned: 

The Valley Baseball League: A History of Baseball in the Shenandoah Valley

You can learn more about Chaz by connecting with him on LinkedIn 

Sponsors:

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Important Resources to Note:

• Click here: https://sleekbio.com/jbryant for important resources mentioned on this podcast

Tweetable Quotes:

“For young engineers that are coming through, do not be afraid to ask questions just as we are talking about, the managers have to be empathetic in understanding the situation. The associate or the young engineer is in, it’s also important for that young engineer to have some concept of what that manager may be going through and what they’re doing because having that may help you better engage as you develop in your career.”   – Dr. James Bryant

“The initiative that you have to take as an engineer associate to get the most out of the program,  whether you’re in a program or not, I hate to tell you your parents are right. There’s really no substitute for hard work. If you’re, just going into a situation assuming people are gonna do things for you.” – Chaz Weaver