student intern

water resources engineer

construction inspector

engineer

inspector

RK&K

I was hired at RK&K to work on a large, multi-year project while also establishing a team/department to assist with other projects in my state. During my interview I questioned my future manager about how we would accomplish this and bring in projects to support the co-workers on my team after the larger project was completed. I was told "don't worry, the work will come". Each year during my annual review with my manager I asked what was being done to bring in projects and work for our team once our larger project was completed. Once again I was told "don't worry, the work will come". My team has since completed this large multi-year project I was hired to assist with and the client was very pleased with our hard work and the results my co-workers and I were able to achieve despite the many challenges and long days it took.

 As soon as we wrapped things up I once again asked my manager about the projects we had upcoming and was told there weren't any. Apparently, during the years my co-workers and I were putting in long days and weeks sacrificing time with family in order to meet project deadlines nothing else was being done on the management side to bring in any work. 

I spent months at a time working away from home in the middle of nowhere so that my team and I could complete this large project. I went to extremes during the COVID pandemic in order to travel for work, complete my tasks, train new employees, and keep my family safe at the same time. During this time I find out my manager is out enjoying the time away from the office pursuing hobbies and having fun. My manager never once checked in to see how any of us were doing. I went months without hearing anything from my manager. My manager was home every night with family. My manager bragged about how great it was while I was in the middle of one of the busiest periods of my life between both work and my personal life. 

After months of having no additional work or projects come in or any news of proposals being drafted or submitted, my manager was promoted somehow. Meanwhile, my hours have been cut due to the lack of work. 

When concerns about this were brought to upper management we were given no resolution or even hope that we would have jobs in the future. I work with a great team that has achieved some major accomplishments and management doesn't seem to even want us around. We are very capable and dedicated and yet it feels like we don't exist. 

During a recent annual employee review I discussed working toward a project management role within the company. My manager agreed that was a great goal and one that I am very capable of doing at this point in my career. A few weeks later I noticed that my job title had been changed. Instead of reflecting the decade plus of experience I have in my field, I was given an entry level job title suitable for an employee with 0-2 years of experience. I was also informed that an email was circulated to the managers about the job titles and they were supposed to discuss this during the annual review to insure the new titles matched the employee they were being assigned to. Additionally, a career ladder document for charting an employee's career path within the company was made available and managers were supposed to discuss this with their employees. I was not told about any of this during my review. When I asked my manager about updating my title I was told this was supposed to be done during the annual review process and would have to wait until next year's review to get it corrected. If my manager was engaged whatsoever then this would not have happened.

I have spent 4 years of my career at RK&K working over time and much of that was spent away from home and family. I have never been promoted. My hard work and sacrifices have largely gone unacknowledged. My hours have been cut and I've been given the title of an entry level employee. I don't see any room for advancement in my career. I don't even feel wanted here anymore. 

Overall, this company is one of the better ones to work for talking with others in this field. You'll get out of this work what you put in, up to a point though. You're working experience is going to be dependent on who your work staff is. You'll have people over you who may or may not work with RK&K, and whether or not they're going to be helpful in your day-to-day operations is hit or miss. 

Managers are pretty down to earth and will hear you out if you've got concerns or issues, and try their best to work with you. They do good at actually making you feel like a person and part of the team and not just a pawn or a minion to do someone's bidding. Just be mindful that with the field work, your overall experience is going to depend on who you work with in the field. Again, these will be folks who may or may not work with RK&K. I've met plenty of good people, and plenty of sour folks that had no business doing the work they were doing. 

This work is rewarding up to a point. Once you hit the point where you're at the top of your role, you'll pretty much stay there until you ask for more. You've got to be as proactive as you want folks to be for you. Even then there's a chance that whoever is over you will make things harder then they need to be or just make the work miserable. Just know what you're looking for and work with the management to see the best way to get to where you want to be. 

As your career advances in the district offices in specialties other than transportation or construction, you will always be working with limited resources and juggling the roles of manager, engineer, trainer, marketer, QA/QC, etc. Growing these "lesser" departments serving clients other than the state DOTs is a two-step forward and one-step backward proposition.  The firm is known as a leading transportation and construction engineering firm, and management struggles to provide the support and resources necessary for the district offices to succeed and grow in services other than those related to transportation.  

The firm is transitioning from a smaller consulting to a major large consulting firm and it will be interesting to see how the partners manage and direct this transition without loosing too many of the "good things" that made RK&K a very special place to work.

The morning normally starts off by checking my phone messages and returning calls. Checking e mails and responding to them.Then paper work, Working on IDR`s and drawlings. ...Faxing papers and writing letters when needed. The other inspector and energetic and knowledgeable and great to work with. Then its time to go into the field to the various work sites for daily inspections and working with the contractors to ensure their compliance with all the county and state codes and specifications. Also to ensure all the proper MOT is in place where needed.Daily logs, taking measurements, and keeping track of all material used on the job is done . Also to keep proper paper work to ensure contractor is paid correct amounts.We always have pre- construction meeting and then  progress meeting throughout the course of the contracts.

I love working for RK&K.  Our culture and values are evident every day, from the direct access we have to the Partners and other upper management, to the responsiveness of co-workers internally to each other and externally to our clients.  I've had so many mentors at RK&K, because the majority of employees are willing to go out of their way to help you, guide you, and train you, regardless of their position.  Kindness and approachability really sum up the staff, especially upper management.  If you show initiative, interest, a strong technical proficiency and some patience, as well, there's no limit on where you can take your career.

You can expect your day-to-day to be different - No two days are alike.  You never feel bored and you can expect to be supported at many levels of management.  Workplace culture is relaxing and challenging in a good way.  Management will listen and support you.  Just know that when you come up with a solution to a challenging issue - you are recognized and rewarded.  They really make an effort to value their employees for their hard work and drive to make things happen for the betterment of the firm, client, community and their biggest asset - THE EMPLOYEE.

This is a great company to work for. Management tends to allow slackards to continue to slack off without much attention. But they do go after every job which comes down the pike so there is no shortage of something to do. RK&K considers itself to be a design build firm however they will take any job they can win. The work loads sometimes is overwhelming. But they give a lot of help to their employees. Benefits especially healthcare are very good. 3 weeks vacation per year. 4 weeks after 5 years with the firm.

RK&K is an excellent firm to work for. The size is not too small and not so large that it brings excessive bureaucracy.  At RK&K I have had the opportunity to work on projects that range in construction value from less than $50,000 to several hundred million.  I have also been given the freedom to pursue and complete projects/services for new clients that we had not previously offered in the area.

There is no typical day at work here, you may go from job to job at different locations or parts of the State. I've learned a lot in the field of highway construction from some of the best. The hardest part of this job isn't the work but the not knowing from day to day where you'll be working or if you'll be working but have come in contact with a lot of people in the highway construction field.

I have only been at RK&K a short time, but the company has a very strong culture.  They really care that everyone is a team and are considerate of the fact that people have families and lives outside of work.  The company is growing quickly and the number of projects seem to threaten to overload the number of employees available.  Because of this, you'll never be bored, but sometimes deadlines come up fast.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Student intern 24 salaries reported	$21.17 per hour
Water resources engineer 11 salaries reported	$47.57 per hour
Construction inspector 5 salaries reported	$34.60 per hour
Engineer 8 salaries reported	$40.39 per hour
Inspector 4 salaries reported	$34.63 per hour

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