#EngineersWeek Spotlight: Jessica Fly, PE, PMP
It's #EngineersWeek and we celebrate our members who are professional engineers. We are spotlighting the accomplishments, thoughts and motivations of a few of those members who inspire us - including Jessica Fly, PE, PMP with WSP.
As a graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Civil Engineering, Jessica went on to work as a Roadway Engineer. As she progressed in her career, she became a Project Manager, one of the youngest within her office might I add! Today she continues to be a PM for the Arizona Team and acts as a wonderful mentor and role model to many engineers in the transportation industry.
What do you consider an important aspect to being an engineer?
“Asking yourself, does it make sense?”
“Whatever you’re doing, whether it is laying out an intersection, running a traffic model, I think we’ve become so automated with so much in our industry. We’ve written the spreadsheets and we’ve run the crazy models that will calculate any and everything for us, which I think is great. There is usually more than one right or correct answer. But I think a lot of times we don’t always take that step back and say, “does my answer make sense?” I think it’s important to not only be technically competent, and do what you’re required to do, but also to think about the bigger picture of the goals of the project.”
What do you like best about your job?
“In short, it’s the variety of tasks and challenges that I get to do and the people I get to do it with. In my role right now, if you think of it as a pie chart, I get even slices in a bunch of different things. I get to do some business development, writing proposals, and come up with innovative ideas. I also get to lead project work, which includes leading the project team and working with our clients.
Who have been some of your most influential mentors?
To speak specifically regarding the first project Jessica was a Project Manager for, she recounted, “I was literally out on an island because I was in the job site office. There weren’t many times where I could just swing by the water cooler and ask a question.” Nevertheless, Jessica’s greatest internal mentors have been Joy Melita, Zahit Katz, Greg Fly, and Becky Fly.
Thinking back to that first project out on her lone island, she talked about her external mentor, someone very special in the WTS family. “I had recently gone through the WTS mentor program as a mentee. My mentor was Jane Morris, who the program is now named after. I would call her, we would meet up every couple of months, just to catch up. We got to know each other very well. I would pick her brain, whether it was just a quick five-minute phone call or grabbing drinks to say hey. She was somebody who I really chalked my success up to on that first project. It was very good support; I am very grateful to have had that opportunity with her.”
What has been the most challenging feat you’ve faced in your career?
Jessica talked about her first time working on a larger scale project as being the most challenging. “The mental exhaustion, proving that I could do something, that I belonged in the room, that I am in that meeting for a reason is a fine balance when you’re younger. Just making sure that I walked that line of leading the team, but not being bossy. Making sure that we got the work done, that I was respected, and that I was showing respect for the team.”
“There were things on that project that came up and I didn’t even know what they were. I hadn’t yet been exposed to it; I was learning design issues I had never come across. Luckily, I had a team of internal leads for each discipline to assist me, but I was the first person the contractor called. So that was a little scary at first.”
“I am glad I did it, I learned a lot, it set me up to have experience and qualifications for the next project opportunity. Had I declined that role, I wouldn’t have been able to do the next job. It’s like turning a challenge into something that springboards you forward into a whole host of opportunities that you never thought would happen.”
How was transitioning from Engineer to Project Manager?
“I think I am on the younger side as a person who’s made that transition. I was going to have to work harder to make sure people knew I belonged there, had the experience, and was capable. Even though they probably didn’t care, it was more of something I internalized. And so, I was very cognizant and focused on that perception. It was challenging at first to balance technical design items of a project with the client and stakeholder coordination required to be successful.”
What advice do you have for the younger engineers?
“Get involved. Attend industry events, volunteer, etc. Even if all you get out of it is meeting a bunch of new people, that is a win.”
“You don’t have to be the project manager to go to a WTS luncheon or be in the mentorship program. Your attendance at those functions is how you get to meet people – to get your name out there. The people you’ll meet will be who you grow up with together in the industry. And maybe someday those people you meet will be a project manager at a client organization or a potential teaming partner. It’s good to start building that network. That network, right now, is what I am reaping the benefits of. I have a lot of great friends in management positions at clients and at competitors. But to get to this point required years of attending industry events, meeting people, and building those relationships.”
If you weren’t an engineer, what would you be?
“Sports Physical Therapist – I am very active; I love the outdoors and play a lot of sports. I’ve been injured enough times that I have an affinity with our medical community.”
What is your favorite restaurant in the Phoenix metro?
“I am going to go nostalgic and say Uncle Sam’s. It’s a dive bar and grill, but it was right around the corner from my high school. At the time it was the only location in the city. It’s got a lot of charm. It was the high school hang out.”
If you were to have lunch with anyone, who would it be?
“Betty White – because, well she was just so awesome in so many ways! A career spanning several decades while remaining relevant, truly doing what she loved until the day she died. We can all be so lucky!”
Thank you, Jessica, for being so generous with your time, providing us with awesome insight on the life of an engineer. We appreciate your commitment to WTS and hope to continue as a support for you as you are excel in the transportation industry.