“As an engineer, coming out of MIT, there were a lot of jobs I could have taken that would have been interesting or very lucrative; jobs in aerospace or robotics. But the thing is, a lot of those jobs are not necessarily meaningful, at least not in the near term. Things like robotics can have a significant impact on the way we live, but the timeline is long-term. I wanted to make a difference right now, today.
“As I started to explore my options, I decided I really wanted to do something that was accessible to people. I wanted to be able to explain to my friends what I did and how the work I was doing affected their everyday lives. I knew it also had to be meaningful to me because I would likely be working long hours.
“So now I’m an Energy-Efficiency Engineer. I work for a consulting firm and we take on government sector and private sector projects that grow social value. My primary clients are the Department of Energy or utilities. We work with them to evaluate their programs – how they’re designed, operated, renovated – and try to reduce their energy consumption.
“It’s fun because I get to work from home, and it’s rewarding because I get to put my degree to use creating value that fits with my values. It’s worthy work.”
– Arlis Reynolds, Engineer, Costa Mesa
