Karla Alvarez
Lendlease LMB
New York, NY USA
"Naysayers are limited in their vision. Don't let others dictate your limits."
Career Roadmap
Karla's work combines: Engineering, Numbers, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Mary Louis Academy
Bachelor's Degree
Civil Engineering, General
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Graduate Degree
Civil Engineering, General
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Certification
Construction Management, General
NYU
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Construction Project Manager:
Bachelor's Degree: Civil Engineering, General
Graduate Degree: Civil Engineering, General
Certification: Construction Management, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Wanted to be and Artist or Creative and was accepted to Arts and Design HS, but parents put me in a College Prep HS instead.
2.
Completed to the MS in Civil Engineering program at CU and got employed at an environmental engineering firm, stuck running calculations and writing reports. Was not happy.
3.
Volunteered for some field engineering at my firm. Loved the idea of working directly with construction trades, but kept getting overlooked. I couldn't get on the Construction team.
4.
I went back to school for a diploma in construction building management diploma at NYU. Thought I would make connections to get a new job. The guys got looks but not me.
5.
Then I got lucky (Luck = Preparation meets Opportunity). Federal Government was pumping money into environmental construction project which would required diversified staff. I raised my hand.
6.
I worked 20+ years shoulder to shoulder with trades men and supervisors. Then moved on from consulting to contracting and now construction development!!
7.
Being prepared, ready to do the work and ask when opportunities and circumstances presented themselves was the key for me. At times it wasn't easy but I always keep my goal in mind.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You don't want to work in construction. The men won't listen to you.
How I responded:
Naysayers are limited in their vision don't let others dictate your limits.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Always be prepared and be consistent with your work. Don't let fear of failure stop you from reaching past your goals. Be open to accepting support from unlikely allies.