Here Kaitlyn Miller, engineering manager for Hoosier Crane Service Company based in Elkhart, IN, describes how she started her career. She joined Hoosier in 2011.
“My career started shortly after I graduated High School. Unsure what exactly I wanted to do with an engineering career, I took an internship with Hoosier Crane for the summer. At the time, my plan was loosely to go into dentistry (for the money…), but I ended up enjoying my first summer at Hoosier Crane so much that I continued to work summers and breaks for them while I completed my college education in Civil Engineering. I was drawn to this industry primarily because of the opportunities to interact with a variety of other industries through overhead cranes and hoists. I watched a lot of “How It’s Made” when I was younger and now I get to watch it live in my daily work,” she said.
“My biggest achievement to date is overseeing a successful project involving two new shipping and receiving plants for a local manufacturer. Our scope of work included three polar hoists, two stacker cranes, and five complex below the hook devices. I was responsible for the design of the crane systems and project management for this $1.2 million project. It was rewarding to work with a closely involved end user and all facets of the Hoosier Crane team throughout the project, from conception to completion.
“The biggest challenge I’ve faced in my career is reinventing myself as a working mother. I am a new mom to an 11-month-old boy. While both my career and motherhood have been rewarding experiences in and of themselves, I have often struggled to find a balance where I feel confident about my time spent as an employee/co-worker, a mother, a wife, and an individual. Though I am still working on this one, I am inspired by all of the other working mothers that have been in my shoes before.
“In terms of the future, I am excited to see the shift that young people are making towards career pathways in the trades or outside of the traditional four-year college program. I hope this trend can bring fresh ideas, specifically with technology, as we work towards a smarter, better, faster industry. Next, I am looking forward to growth with and within Hoosier Crane, motherhood, and life itself.”
