Mark Treat, P.E.
Senior Engineer
BSME, BSEE, MSE

Q: When you first started your career - what was the biggest lesson learned on the job?

A: When I was in college I held leadership positions in volunteer organizations. My first job was as a Project Engineer I thought it would be great to be able to just tell other employees what I needed rather than coaxing like I had to with volunteers. I quickly learned that this didn't work well. People in a volunteer organization are actually more willing to work towards an objective than those being paid. A volunteer wants to be there; frequently, paid people hate their job and are just trying to get by.

Q: What is the underlying foundation for career success today?

A: Honest communication, continued training, and the proper level of conservative decision-making.

Q: How do you keep up-to-date within your industry?

A: ASME activities, continued college grad courses, short courses, magazines, and books.

Q: What advice would you give a recent engineering graduate looking for work?

A: List and rank what's important to you - Location, Money, Job Security, Area of Work, Family Time, Size of Company, etc. Then, determine what companies will help you obtain what's important to you and pursue them.

Q: Has your involvement in ASME changed or influenced your career path?

A: Yes, during a job transition the interviewer confided in me that since I had listed a local ASME office on my resume, he contacted people within his company he knew to be active ASME members to determine whether to interview me. In the end I got the job.