The success of GTA is built on the people who show up every day to do meaningful work. Across the company, employees come from different backgrounds and bring different levels of experience but they share a commitment to delivering quality work while supporting one another along the way. 

But what is it like to build a career at GTA? What opportunities are available to people just starting out? And what keeps team members motivated to stay and grow with the company?

To answer those questions, we went straight to the source, the crew themselves. These are conversations with some of the 600+ people who keep GTA moving forward, sharing honest takes on what life here actually looks like beyond the job title.

Owen Billard
Lab Manager

“If you show up and put in the effort, you’ll gain experience, advance, and move up.”

What do you enjoy most about coming to work, and what keeps you excited about what you do?
I like coming to work because of the people. My coworkers are some of my best friends, too. But also, there aren’t a lot of jobs that I know of where you can start out like me, knowing almost nothing, and work your way through to a leadership position. The company guides you every step of the way. 

In what ways has GTA supported your growth and helped you move forward in your career?
One of the things GTA does to help invest in growth is that we have certain certifications in the industry that are helpful for doing the job. GTA offers a sort of bounty program for those certifications if you spend the time to get a certification. Each one has a different value associated with it and you actually earn a bonus for doing those. GTA also will help pay for schooling if that’s something that the employee wants to pursue. 

How would you describe the overall culture at GTA, both in your office and when working with other teams?
The vibe at all the GTA offices is that everyone is extremely friendly. There’s no sense of superiority. Nobody’s ever belittled me for not knowing something. Everyone’s always very happy to teach new things, which is really nice.

For someone who might be unsure about applying because they don’t have much experience, what would you say to them?
If you’re hesitating about applying to GTA, just know that there’s positions for literally any experience level here. You can, like me when I started, you don’t even need to know what the word geotechnical means. There’s always work to be done, and if you show up and put in the effort, you’ll gain experience, advance, and move up.

Eric Church
Partner

“At GTA, there’s always been a clear and open career path and that’s all shown in the qualifications for advancement. You don’t have to wait for somebody else to retire to move up.”

Looking back on your career, what helped you get to where you are today?
GTA has provided unwavering support since day one, when I was a technician for whatever certifications that I wanted to pursue. They gave me the materials and the time to be able to study and get those certifications for my career. I have a civil engineering degree and GTA afforded me the opportunity to pursue my master’s degree while still working full-time. That’s priceless. To be able to have a company that is willing to support your dreams and help you financially to achieve those goals. For mentoring, from project level all the way up to partner level, everyone is so receptive to questioning and mentoring and open-door policies that you don’t ever feel like you’re on an island by yourself. There’s a wealth of knowledge in each office. 

Every career has its challenges. What kept you motivated to stay and grow here over the years?
I think it comes down to the opportunity for career growth. At a lot of other firms, there seems to be a ceiling. At GTA, there’s always been a clear and open career path and that’s all shown in the qualifications for advancement. You don’t have to wait for somebody else to retire to move up. 

What’s something you’ve learned about building a career in this field that you wish you had known earlier on?
I think one of the biggest things is understanding relationships. A lot of what we do is the engineering and the actual work, but the relationships that you build over the course of years are really impactful. I think that helps you in your career growth just as much as, you know, the technical knowledge that you learn along the way. 

When you’re meeting someone new to the field, what qualities stand out to you the most?
The main thing is just character, making sure that they fit well with the current group that we have. They’re driven, motivated, and someone who’s willing to get their hands dirty literally in this field. Then adaptability. A lot of the time, what we plan to happen in a day gets upended by a contractor, and we have to adjust to field conditions or conditions that happen on the site. So I would say those are the main qualities I look for in an interview with candidates.

How would you describe the culture at GTA, and what makes it stand out to you?
GTA’s culture is very close-knit, almost like a family. It’s been very impressive that for the 15 years that I’ve been here and how much we’ve grown to over 600 people, you can still call anyone in any office for help or advice. Even though I run the Richmond office, I have over 30 partners I can lean on for their knowledge and experience. 

If someone is considering applying, what would you want them to know about building a career here?
GTA provides anyone and everyone the opportunity to build a career. A lot of other firms, you get trapped at a position because you have to wait for someone else to move on or advance before you can progress. GTA affords everyone the opportunity to truly build a career and switch as well. We’ve had plenty of people come in as engineering technicians in the construction group and then see what our environmental or natural resource team or geotechnical team does and say, “Hey, I’m really passionate about that. I’d love to give that a shot.” We want to keep our good folks, and so the way to do that is by allowing them to pursue their goals and dreams. If someone says, “Hey, I’d really like to try this new field out,” we offer them the opportunity to try and see how it works out. 

Carly Bauer
Field Technician

“They’re very eager for you to explore whatever certifications you want to get and they’re happy to support you in whatever you decide.”

What has your experience with mentorship and support been like at GTA?
Being mentored at GTA was awesome. It was welcoming and everybody wanted to help you. It was nice because I was able to shadow somebody who knows a whole bunch about the job. Any questions were answered thoroughly and if not, then we found somebody who knew the answer to the question. Everybody was super helpful and knowledgeable.

What do you enjoy most about coming to work each day?
I like coming to work in the morning because even at 7:00 AM, we’re laughing and having a good time before going to the job site. And every day is different. So sometimes I walk in, and I’m in the office helping in the lab or getting sent to a job site. 

How would you describe the culture in your office and how people work together?
The culture in this office is extremely exciting! Everybody’s young and learning alongside one another. It’s really great and everybody’s super nice here and fun to work with. It’s also fun to go to job sites and interact with the different crews and get another relationship outside the office. It’s a good way to communicate with a bunch of different people.

Can you share a moment where a teammate supported you or helped you through something on the job?
Every day I feel like somebody is helping me. I’ll go to a job where we have a bunch of stuff going on, and so I’ll follow somebody, and then they’ll tell me where I can help. It’s nice to have somebody else there who, in case I do get in a pickle, is able to help me.

How does GTA support people who want to grow and develop in their careers?
GTA invests in people who want to grow by offering a bunch of different certifications that you can get. They’re very eager for you to explore whatever certifications you want to get and they’re happy to support you in whatever you decide.

Alex Sedley
Geotechnical Professional

“I think a certain trait that you can’t really explain about working here at GTA is that you’re never truly alone. Everyone’s always got your back.”

Before you started at GTA, what did you know about geotechnical engineering, and what surprised you once you got into the work?
Before I started working here, I didn’t really know much about geotechnical engineering. I just knew it was a field of engineering and that it was similar to civil engineering. But other than that, nothing. The most surprising thing I’ve learned while working here, specifically about geotechnical engineering itself, is it is very involved and very hands-on, but it still has a piece of your typical engineering and doing calculations. 

What is the most surprising part of the work you do?
The most surprising part about this job is that it’s way more in-depth than what you would think. It’s not just looking at dirt, you’re actually running the dirt through the lab and test, and then you’re getting specific engineering values that you can use and use those values to make recommendations to put into your report that you give. 

Does GTA support employees in earning certifications and continuing their education?
Yes! If you’re worried about certifications, GTA will help you give you study materials. They pay for classes if you need it and to get you certifications. GTA will reimburse you for those costs as well, which I can attest to because I’m currently getting my masters, and it’s being paid for by GTA. So I am very grateful for them.

What is something you did not realize would matter so much when you were job hunting, but now really value at GTA?
Something I didn’t consider that was important before I started working at GTA is the work culture. How everyone in the office interacts with each other is much more important than you would think because you can’t just sit in a hole by yourself and get your work done, because with our field, everything is interconnected and everything has to go through multiple people. So you have to have those relationships to make sure that the work gets done and everything’s completed correctly. You can’t just do it all by yourself. It’s impossible.

How would you describe the team culture at GTA?
Yeah, we’re very close-knit. Everyone can really talk to each other. There are no real outsiders, everyone’s the same here. Everyone is treated great, and we’re all great friends. And that’s just a great thing about GTA.

Is there something about the culture at GTA that people really have to experience for themselves to understand?
I think a certain trait that you can’t really explain about working here at GTA is that you’re never truly alone. Everyone’s always got your back. You’re never going to be just left on the side. Someone’s always there for you, so that’s one great thing to have doing here.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about applying but is still on the fence?
If you’re thinking about applying, apply. If you don’t think you have enough experience, apply anyway because you never know until you have to actually apply to know if you’re going to get it or not. And say you don’t have something that we’re asking for, but you have shown that you can learn, then we can still work with you. We can help you and we will teach you. It’s not like if you don’t meet this qualification, we’re just going to send you on your way. If you show that you can learn and you show you have a good drive, then that’s kind of what we ask for.

Why would you recommend GTA to someone looking for their next opportunity?
I think you should work for GTA because there’s no one else, no company that does it better than here. In terms of the culture you hear from other companies about, it sounds like you’re just left alone. Sounds like no one really cares about you. But here everyone is their own person and we just come together so well.

Join the Growing GTA Team

This is a place where people are given the chance to learn and build a career with consistent support and access to resources that will help them move forward.

If this feels like the opportunity you’ve been looking for, now is the time to make your move. No matter where you are in your career, there’s a place for you here. At GTA, you’ll find real opportunities to do work that matters while growing alongside a team that has your back.

Take a look at our open roles and see where you might fit in!