“Growth cannot be sustainable.” – Unknown
Name: Scott Jasinski
Age: 23
Occupation: Energy Engineer
Did you go to college? Where? University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
What did you study? I started my undergrad in Civil Engineering but quickly realized I wanted a broader view of engineering. At the time I didn’t know what area of engineering I wanted to study so I decided to switch to General Engineering. In this program, I was able to get a broad overview of many of the engineering disciplines, but I also wanted to understand the economics of the projects I would be working on. I chose to pursue a Minor in Business to further my understanding of the financial side of engineering. I am currently pursuing my Master’s Degree in Energy Systems Engineering at the same university on a part time basis.
Where do you work? SEDAC (Smart Energy Design Assistance Center)
Where are you from? Hawthorn Woods, IL
Why did you pick this career? I wanted to make a positive difference in this world. This is my start by helping people lower their energy usage.
What are your future plans for your career?
Working at SEDAC thus far has been very positive and engaging. In addition to auditing I have started retro-commissioning buildings. This is where you go into existing buildings and properly program components to function properly and optimally. Once becoming an expert in this field I would like to play an active role in integrated building design on newer high-rise and complex buildings. I would also like to give presentations that would help building owners pursue energy efficiency measures. Beyond that I would love to own a company relating to energy and resource usage, where I can provide a positive and low stress work environment for the employees.
How did you get involved in this career?
My energy usage concerns started when a geography class I was in compared western agriculture to rain forest tribe’s agriculture. The conclusion was that it takes western agriculture nine times more energy to produce the equivalent amount of food. All this energy comes from fossil fuels. That class sparked my strong interest in energy efficiency. I developed friendships with people with these similar interests and it landed me my first job.
How did you prepare yourself for this career?
The University of Illinois’ Engineering program gave me strong mechanical and theoretical problem solving skills. Beyond that it’s just been learning day to day from my knowledgeable coworkers and other resources. The technologies we recommend are constantly changing, and we need to maintain our expertise.
What are the downsides to this profession?
Our services are funded through utility companies and federal and state governments. Since the client doesn’t directly pay for our services, sometimes there can be an issue of enthusiasm. Other downside is that many people have no desire to pursue sustainability which then makes it difficult for them to want to make changes.
What is a typical workday for you?
What I enjoy so much about my job is that my days usually are not the same day to day. I have site visits where I am out of the office. These site visits are all over the state of Illinois so I get to visit areas that I would never go to otherwise. Even though we do get repeat clients, the majority of the time I am always meeting new people especially when giving presentations or running booth tables. The remainder of the time is spent finding ways for current clients to save energy.
How might this job be a stepping stone to other professions?
In order to make recommendations to clients, I need a strong understanding with the entire building’s construction, internal systems, and other environmental factors. All of this knowledge can easily be applied to other areas such as design and implementation in any of these areas in buildings.
What is the single-most important piece of advice you can offer a person pursuing this career?
Even if you don’t have all of the qualifications to start in this career don’t give up. If you are persistent and enthusiastic someone will want to invest their time in training you.
What steps do you recommend to someone who is planning to pursue this career?
Along with engineers, like myself, I work with architects. Having a background in either engineering or architecture is important to understanding buildings. Besides education, just being involved as much as possible, through organizations or clubs, is helpful to land your first job in this industry. Just keep networking.
What professional or community volunteer organizations are you currently a member of?
Unfortunately between working full time and pursuing my Master’s part time I find myself limited with my involvement with organizations. I would like to change this though.
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