Happy Women’s History Month! This month, we’re highlighting the incredible women of Lund Opsahl who continuously redefine what it means to be in this industry. We spoke to Julie Kerlin, BIM technician who also oversees our internal BIM quality control process. Reflecting on her three years of experience, she shares about her journey to drafting and what being a woman in this industry means to her.
Why did you go into drafting?
I was a studio art major before drafting, so my spatial reasoning skills have always been really good, but I wasn’t sure how to use that in a career. I was a veterinary technician before going into drafting, and I found that wasn’t what I was best at, so I looked for jobs that would allow me to hyperfocus and use those spatial reasoning skills.
Then, I had a friend who was an engineer that said he worked with CAD drafters. When he described the work, it sounded perfect and like something I might want to do.
What is the best part about your job?
The best part of the job is receiving marks from engineers and interpreting them. It’s difficult, but when I figure it out, it’s really satisfying. I like the challenge and being able to implement what they’ve put down as a rough draft into Revit in the 3D modeling.
Can you describe your journey to Lund Opsahl?
I didn’t come here because I knew I wanted to work with structure, but now that I’m here, I’m really glad that I chose it. I find it very satisfying and interesting to work on the bones of a structure.
Did you have any mentors in your career?
Coming to Lund Opsahl, Diane Genson and Whitney Huse have been incredible mentors. Diane was a massive support. Coming here, I knew nothing. I was very intimidated, very scared. She always reassured me and was very patient and always willing to help. I could never call too many times.
I also think it’s especially rewarding being on a team and a firm where there’s quite a few women. My department is led by women, and that makes me feel more capable of leading.
What does being a woman in this industry mean to you?
I know that drafting is not a role that women have taken on a lot in the past, so it’s cool to be in this role where women haven’t usually been included.
I also think it’s especially rewarding being on a team and a firm where there’s quite a few women. My department is led by women, and that makes me feel more capable of leading. I don’t know if my confidence would have grown as much without women leading the way within the company.
What in your career are you most proud of?
I’m proud of how far I’ve come in such a short period of time. I started three years ago, and I got promoted after two and a half years. While that doesn’t seem super-fast, considering I knew absolutely nothing when I came in, it was unexpected.
What is your superpower?
Winning over any cat or dog.
Favorite Lund Opsahl project?
Redmond Senior and Community Center. It was the first project I started on my own, so it’s a point of pride and it’s also really interesting.
If you can have one superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation, for sure.
Favorite Seattle activity?
Paddleboarding.
