Mena Elkafafi

March 5, 2019

Entering the World of A Civil Engineer

Magdy Elkafafi’s Life

“In order to succeed in life, you have to love what you do,” said Magdy Elkafafi, Vice President of ATANE Design and Construction Consulting. Magdy Elkafafi is a Professional Engineer that graduated from the City College of New York in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with Honors. Currently, he works in ATANE Construction inspection department in New York City. Based on Magdy’s quote he emphasizes that in the engineering field there can be many challenges and hard work required in the field, however, it is important to stay concentrated on the goal and not give up.

Mrs. Elkafafi was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1968 and was raised in Alexandria. He attended the Alexandria University Faculty of Engineering for four years and then moved to the United States and attended the City College of New York located in Harlem. While attending college he had a job as a draftsman in a company called McKeon Steel Door Company. He used to work this job during the day and attend classes at campus during the night. Working in this company has taught him how to manage the stress of the boss’s drawings requests. “Time is money,” meaning you only have a certain amount of time to do your job correctly before making a mistake.

When he graduated college in 1996, he attended a job fair at City College, and he was interviewed by representatives from the NYC DOT (New York City of Department of Transportation). They were interested in his skills and GPA that they decided to offer him a job after graduation. He received a first full-time job as a construction inspector for NYC DOT. He was responsible for inspecting the concrete placements and asphalt pavements for serval highways throughout New York City. One of his first projects was a rehabilitation of the Frances Louis Blvd bridge deck over the Belt Parkway. He had to inspect the rebars for approaching slabs and the main deck testing concrete before pouring to make sure the rebars and concrete meet the NYC DOT standers specifications. Additionally, he wrote a daily inspector report to specify the payment amount for work performed.

His current job in ATANE Consulting he is the deputy director of the construction inspection management that manages several projects for different clients. His main role of this job is to submit proposals for new projects presented by different clients meanwhile, managing current projects. One of his projects where he consulted as a project manager for the reconstruction of Gowan’s Expressway at a 250-million-dollar project. This project constructed a new flyover ramp for the new hove lane between Hugh Carry Tunnel and the Verrazano Bridge. Another project was connecting the New York City water tunnels 1, 2, and 3 across Manhattan to permit required repairs for water tunnel number 1. He finds this job very interesting because you turn a design into reality, and you overcome high challenges during construction. A constant obstacle he constantly overcomes is making the client happy at the end of the day.

During their meetings, they present their work to one another in forms of PowerPoint, images, and blueprints. Aside from having meetings, Mrs. Elkafafi uses phones as another way to communicate with others. Sometimes he holds conferences via phone or video chat with the clients. In addition to participating in meetings and managing his team, Mrs. Elkafafi receives and writes many e-mails throughout the day. He shares important documents and information through e-mail and phone, as well as in person. Blueprints and project proposals are some of the examples of documents that he creates and shares with his colleagues. Magdy Elkafafi fulfills a whole week’s worth of his duties in 40 hours and sends an average of 300 professional emails weekly.

“You are in this world to live up to other people’s expectation and I am not in this world to live up to your expectation. Do not be afraid of what people will think about you and your work.” Mrs. Elkafafi offered much different advice but this one personally struck me because after you get rid of the fear of judgment you just start focusing on the present and be more productive at your work and end up focusing on the journey and not the destination. Another advice that really engaged my attention was “learn to network and gain as much work experience and internships to apply on the resume,” this proved that many companies judge you based on your field experience and numbered of internships you’ve worked for. It also offers you valuable contacts when you are looking for your first job. For instance, if you have impressed the director on your work of experience/internship you are more likely to get a job offer from that company and even a great reference for a different company.

According to Mrs. Elkafafi, “A career in civil engineering requires a lot of patience and must have the passion to love your job so you can succeed every day.” Being proactive, making sure you are on top of your classes, and joining internships are what makes it or breaks it for an aspiring engineer. Despite all the obstacles that one may encounter, they must overcome it no matter what. As Magdy Elkafafi said, “if you love the job you’ll get through the job at the end of the day.”