Sophia Toops, EI
Civil Designer | 3J Consulting
I was incredibly fortunate to have Laura as my mentor for nearly two years at the very start of my career, fresh out of college. Like many new graduates, I was nervous and unsure of my place in the industry, but Laura completely changed my perspective. She not only made me feel comfortable and confident, but also worthy of being in this field. Laura pushed me every day to grow and learn while taking the time to understand how I learn best and adapting her teaching style to support me. She encouraged mistakes and viewed them as opportunities, walking through them with me so I could learn and not feel discouraged.
Jennifer Joe
Environmental Program Coordinator | City of Tigard
I have worked with Laura for many years and I’m always impressed with her professional demeanor and her outstanding communication skills. Laura has a way of explaining things that make her ideas easy to understand and digest. She’s extremely organized and honest to her word. If she says she will do something I know it will get done, and it will be on time. On top of being smart, innovative, and hardworking, she’s also very kind and has a wonderful sense of humor, which makes my time with her productive as well as enjoyable.
Fiona Vollmer
CAD Intern | Grayling Engineers
I started as a CAD Intern at Grayling Engineers in February. Before that, I completed a three-year apprenticeship as a civil engineering drafter in Germany. Even though I already had a solid foundation in AutoCAD, I had not worked with Civil 3D before. The AutoCAD Civil 3D training helped me get back into the software quickly and gave me a clear understanding of the basic workflows. It also introduced me to the fundamentals of Civil 3D and water supply design, which made it much easier to follow and contribute to projects from the beginning. One thing that was especially helpful was learning how to work with profiles and pipe properties. This made it much easier to navigate the software and directly apply what I learned to my daily tasks. It also really helped me become more confident using the English commands, which made working in a new environment a lot smoother.
Sam Kottoor, EI
Design Engineer | Grayling Engineers
The AutoCAD Civil 3D Training does what other trainings don't: it answers the question "What's the point?" The course often ties concepts to the bigger picture, shares the importance of the tools being utilized, and provides anecdotal tips that tie back to the application of Civil 3D. Through this, an early-career engineer not only learns Civil 3D, but also many important engineering workflows, making this training exceptionally well-rounded. As an example, thanks to the training, I was able to understand the collaborative consequences of Xrefing file B into file A as an attachment (as opposed to as an overlay). If this simple step is overlooked, file A may pose problems for the next person who tries to xref it.