Manage episode 514790206 series 3237497
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
Sounds like you? Join the waitlist at https://kpreddy.co/
Check out one of our Catalyst conversation starters, AEC Needs More High-Agency Thinkers
Hope to see you there!
Chapters
1. Mastermind Roundtable Setup (00:00:00)
2. Brandon’s Path From CAD To Innovation (00:00:53)
3. Young Talent, AI Fluency, And Hiring (00:02:44)
4. Do We Still Need Engineering Degrees (00:04:21)
5. From Specialists To Master Generalists (00:07:12)
6. Systems Thinking Beats Component Thinking (00:10:15)
7. Rethinking Drawings And Design Phases (00:12:48)
8. Fees, Tokens, And Billing Models (00:15:12)
9. Multi‑LLM Strategies And Lock‑In (00:18:07)
10. Tools, Agent Kits, And Platform Risk (00:21:01)
11. No‑Code, Vibe Coding, And Guardrails (00:23:05)
12. Intern Prototypes And Build vs Buy (00:26:05)
13. Coding Capacity And Product Choices (00:29:02)
14. If You Started A Firm Tomorrow (00:31:05)
15. Change Journeys And Culture Shifts (00:33:10)
16. Choose‑Your‑Own Career Paths (00:36:02)
17. Where Agentic AI Actually Fits (00:39:05)
18. Better Questions Before Automation (00:42:10)
19. Power Tools, Home Automation, Forma (00:44:05)
20. Incumbents, Inspiration, And AI Momentum (00:46:05)
94 episodes