Interview with Hunter Goguen, Engineering Operation Management Trainee at Union Pacific

Degree: Civil and Forestry Engineering from Oregon State University

Position: Engineering Operation Management Training

Q: How did your college experience prepare you for working at Union Pacific?

A: One of the most applicable pieces of my education was learning to speak the language of the real world. I don’t spend nearly as much time calculating loads while working for Union Pacific as I did going to school at Oregon State, but my education gave me the knowledge base to communicate intelligently with both engineers and general workers on the job.

Q: What steps do you recommend college students take to prepare for their career path?

A: Be sure to engage in extracurricular activities. My field experience in the student logging training program at Oregon State provided valuable insight to make the transition from school to work much smoother. Beyond this, take advantage of the career development resources. By attending events like the career fair and conversing with alumni, you begin to make your face known in a way that simply applying for a job cannot accomplish.

Q: What are some aspects of working for Union Pacific that you particularly enjoy?

A: I think a lot of engineers have a fear of spending the rest of their lives working in a cubical; this is not even close to what it’s like working for Union Pacific. I spend every day working outside in the Colombia River Gorge with a combination of other engineers and general laborers. The job has also given me opportunities to travel all across the United States, something I’ve been interested in for a while.

 

Interested in a position at Union Pacific? Check out the positions currently posted or contact Coby Dolgin, Oregon State University student studying Mechanical Engineering.

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