If you can ship a site plan with one click, do you still need the degree or just better prompts?

Director of Innovation Brandon Blackberg (RTM Engineering) joins KP for a fast, practitioner-level riff on how AI is reshaping civil and structural work. We cover the “McDonald’s vs gourmet” future of delivery, why generalists win in a systems world, and how to avoid getting locked into someone else’s feature stack. We also talk vibe coding, token bills, and what KP would do if he started a firm tomorrow.

Highlights

• Why entry-level engineers will start closer to “junior-plus” with AI at their fingertips
• Generalist thinking vs narrow specialization when failures are system level
• Rethinking drawings and phases when iteration is cheap
• Time and materials, lump sum, and the real impact of token costs
• Multi-LLM strategies to avoid platform lock-in
• Guardrails that keep creativity alive and production safe
• Build vs buy: when an internal tool beats a vendor, and when it doesn’t
• Career paths that don’t look like ladders: engineering, coding, sales

Learn more about KPR Co Mastermind Groups here!

Upcoming KPR Co events

• Owners’ Training Series Kickoff: practical moves for owners and owner’s reps
• Vibe-a-Thon: vibe coding for non-coders, prizes included
• 9th Annual KPR Summit: the room where AEC’s next moves get decided