Wellington Hall, 25
Engineer, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
I had been so worried about getting work when I got out of school. After undergrad I couldn't find a job for the life of me. There weren't a lot of jobs for civil engineers. So I went to get a master's degree last year and got an internship with the Department of Transportation. I was told it would take a long time to get hired. This year, they saw 300 résumés for 70 internships. But when the state gave them stimulus funding, I was one of the first in line to get hired for a new gig. I'm busy still finishing up my thesis -- it's about how roundabouts interact with signalized traffic.
The DOT is going to start me off reviewing things we get from consultants, doing field work, checking plans, and responding to any customer-service calls we get. I haven't had time to celebrate my new job, being so busy finishing school. I haven't gotten to enjoy the money, either. First, it was my father's birthday, then Mother's Day. I had a lot of presents to buy.
NEXT: Bryan White, 47
