CIVIL ENGINEER HELP?!

[killa23]

First time posting on NT! Anyways, I'm looking for some major HELP. I'm currently a senior in college, looking a career afterwards. Mainly in thegovernment aspect. I would love to for them rather than any typical engineering firms. If you guys have any connects/advice? I would deeply appreciate it.

 

[beast4ya]

my uncle is a civil engineer i believe the highlight of his career was shutting down one of Snoop doggs concerts

that means

its not an interesting job and boring

pays okay though

 

[wearinthefourfive]

^You are very knowledgeable on the subject, I see.

 

[fresh prince of sactown]

if you're in california...try caltrans..i heard their jobs are pretty secure... also if you're in the sacramento area mead & hunt are hiring newgrads..

 

[killa23]

Originally Posted by fresh prince of Sactown

if you're in california...try caltrans..i heard their jobs are pretty secure... also if you're in the sacramento area mead & hunt are hiring new grads..

i live in the eastcoast

 

[supraman1784]

civil engineering is so broad...just like some of the other engineering disciplines. what specific area do you want to work in? and where in the east coast areyou? up in the tristate area (ny,nj,pa..etc..) its been tough looking for work...my boy has a masters from columbia and cant even snag a job. tough market forhim. focus on one area...itll make your job search a lot easier rather than blindly sending out 50 resumes. it will also make your connection to each company alittle more personal.

 

[curiousgeorg3]

hows the market for aerospace engineers?

 

[killa23]

Originally Posted by SupraMan1784

civil engineering is so broad...just like some of the other engineering disciplines. what specific area do you want to work in? and where in the east coast are you? up in the tristate area (ny,nj,pa..etc..) its been tough looking for work...my boy has a masters from columbia and cant even snag a job. tough market for him. focus on one area...itll make your job search a lot easier rather than blindly sending out 50 resumes. it will also make your connection to each company a little more personal.

Yes I know, its soo many avenues in CE. However, my focus is Bridge/Transportation....that area sorta. I've been to the tri state area, and yes I believethat it's tough...I'm down for traveling(relocating) ANYWHERE, currently reside in GA though. I'm looking into government jobs...seems moresecure... I've been told that its much easier getting IN if you knew someone/has connects that already has a gov't job. What area is ya boy lookinginto?

 

[ag 47]

Damn, good luck on that...when you do get hired, be sure to give us an update.

 

[raptors29]

Originally Posted by fresh prince of Sactown

if you're in california...try caltrans..i heard their jobs are pretty secure... also if you're in the sacramento area mead & hunt are hiring new grads..

It is pretty secure. My dad used to work for CalTrans in Sacramento. Don't work for the State of Alabama though. $+# is boring.

 

[throwedindagame]

If you're looking for money, go work in the upstream division of an oil company.

75K right out of school + signing bonus.
Shell also pays annual performance bonuses, ExxonMobil does not.
Not sure about Chevron, ConnocPhillips or the other towards the bottom of the totem pole.

You'll also get to travel all over the world. Alaska, Venezuela, Nigeria, etc.

Just throwing careers out there. Whatever you do, if you plan to be a CE for more than 5 years, get your P.E. license. A P.E. is paramount, more-so in CE thenother engineering disciplines.

 

[omgitswes]

i believe my uncle in Chicago is one, pay is amazing! He over sees road work and stuff like that....don't quote me on that though
BUT EE is the way to go! that's what i'm majoring in and already have an intern I really like it

 

[nationaltruckerdave]

RIP

 

[brrraptors]

Originally Posted by ThrowedInDaGame


If you're looking for money, go work in the upstream division of an oil company.

75K right out of school + signing bonus.
Shell also pays annual performance bonuses, ExxonMobil does not.
Not sure about Chevron, ConnocPhillips or the other towards the bottom of the totem pole.

You'll also get to travel all over the world. Alaska, Venezuela, Nigeria, etc.

Just throwing careers out there. Whatever you do, if you plan to be a CE for more than 5 years, get your P.E. license. A P.E. is paramount, more-so in CE then other engineering disciplines.

word of caution about working for oil companies, take it from a fellow engineer. be careful about the "travelling the world" aspect ofit. more often than not you're placed in very remote regions nowhere close to civilization and you live on the rig day n night. its not a glamorous lifeunless you're ok with being in remote places year after year making good money with no social life besides drinking with fellow oil riggers. new grads atoil companies, especially as "field engineers" are very expendable. you make any noise about how they treat you, the living conditions or anything atall you're not gonna get a response. you're not that important to them because they can lure another new grad with the talk of money, travelling theworld etc etc. i've heard this pitch from oil companies in canada so many times. if money and nothing else but money is your only concern then you'lllive.

having said that, if you get into a non-field-engineer kinda position at the head offices or in a permanent establish near a good city then you're lucky.

 

[carpediemkj]

Very imformative post. I was lookin' at majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Any info on that?

I apologize if it's loking like I'm thread jackin', but since were on the topic of engineering, why not?

 

[spot rusherz]

My major

 

[richkarlmarx]

Originally Posted by NationalTruckerDave

RIP

haha for real man

 

[brrraptors]

Originally Posted by CarpeDiemKJ

Very imformative post. I was lookin' at majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Any info on that?

I apologize if it's loking like I'm thread jackin', but since were on the topic of engineering, why not?

theres endless info on and off the web on mech eng. what're your interests? mech eng is a very broad field. what inspires you to take upengineering? as recession sank in everybody realized just being a jack of all trades doesn't do it as much it used to. people are looking for certainskills relating to certain jobs. an engineering firm my friend works at used to hire any engineering grad for certain spots but now with the number of peoplelooking for jobs the firms can pick a more specialized engineer. example, say you're an engineering firm dealing with contracts relating to buildingdesign, hvac, etc etc. once where a mech eng grad could come in and learn the rope is now on the outside looking in as a post-grad in building sciences orcivil is taking that entry-level spot.

before you decide you're specific discipline first decide which field interests you the most.

 

[uniquepair]

Originally Posted by brrraptors

Originally Posted by ThrowedInDaGame


If you're looking for money, go work in the upstream division of an oil company.

75K right out of school + signing bonus.
Shell also pays annual performance bonuses, ExxonMobil does not.
Not sure about Chevron, ConnocPhillips or the other towards the bottom of the totem pole.

You'll also get to travel all over the world. Alaska, Venezuela, Nigeria, etc.

Just throwing careers out there. Whatever you do, if you plan to be a CE for more than 5 years, get your P.E. license. A P.E. is paramount, more-so in CE then other engineering disciplines.

word of caution about working for oil companies, take it from a fellow engineer. be careful about the "travelling the world" aspect of it. more often than not you're placed in very remote regions nowhere close to civilization and you live on the rig day n night. its not a glamorous life unless you're ok with being in remote places year after year making good money with no social life besides drinking with fellow oil riggers. new grads at oil companies, especially as "field engineers" are very expendable. you make any noise about how they treat you, the living conditions or anything at all you're not gonna get a response. you're not that important to them because they can lure another new grad with the talk of money, travelling the world etc etc. i've heard this pitch from oil companies in canada so many times. if money and nothing else but money is your only concern then you'll live.

having said that, if you get into a non-field-engineer kinda position at the head offices or in a permanent establish near a good city then you're lucky.

having a "non-field-engineer position"...would you have to have years of experience?

Im a Civil Engineer major focusing on structural/transportation and my wost fear is getting a job that is boring

. Is their anybody here working and can tell me what you do?

 

[killa23]

^^^Unique, I'm looking for the same answer. Ima civil engineer major...focusing on transportation/highway aspect. I need someone to shed some light.brrraptors, I don't mind traveling. one bit! But you did kinda scared me on tho. (*remote regions, yikes*) LOL

 

[brrraptors]

Originally Posted by uniquepair

Originally Posted by brrraptors

Originally Posted by ThrowedInDaGame


If you're looking for money, go work in the upstream division of an oil company.

75K right out of school + signing bonus.
Shell also pays annual performance bonuses, ExxonMobil does not.
Not sure about Chevron, ConnocPhillips or the other towards the bottom of the totem pole.

You'll also get to travel all over the world. Alaska, Venezuela, Nigeria, etc.

Just throwing careers out there. Whatever you do, if you plan to be a CE for more than 5 years, get your P.E. license. A P.E. is paramount, more-so in CE then other engineering disciplines.

word of caution about working for oil companies, take it from a fellow engineer. be careful about the "travelling the world" aspect of it. more often than not you're placed in very remote regions nowhere close to civilization and you live on the rig day n night. its not a glamorous life unless you're ok with being in remote places year after year making good money with no social life besides drinking with fellow oil riggers. new grads at oil companies, especially as "field engineers" are very expendable. you make any noise about how they treat you, the living conditions or anything at all you're not gonna get a response. you're not that important to them because they can lure another new grad with the talk of money, travelling the world etc etc. i've heard this pitch from oil companies in canada so many times. if money and nothing else but money is your only concern then you'll live.

having said that, if you get into a non-field-engineer kinda position at the head offices or in a permanent establish near a good city then you're lucky.

having a "non-field-engineer position"...would you have to have years of experience?

Im a Civil Engineer major focusing on structural/transportation and my wost fear is getting a job that is boring

. Is their anybody here working and can tell me what you do?

experience is key. but its not the only way to pursue the job you want. if a position specifies that it needs x number of years experience thentheres not a lot you can do about it. biggest influence on getting a position seems to be who you know. contrary to what it may seem like not too many peoplejust sit at a computer apply online and get a position.

show up to engineering conferences talk to people get their business cards and keep in touch. try to volunteer in places when you can for events and such.connections mean everything in today's job market. call and talk to engineers at firms saying you're interested in their firm and the work they do, oneout of 50 such calls you may get a "email me and keep in touch if a situation comes up where we need a new grad i'll let you know" and thatsgolden.

 

[dunkaroos]

The great thing about Civil is that you're guaranteed a job.

 

[killa23]

Originally Posted by Dunkaroos

The great thing about Civil is that you're guaranteed a job.

There's no such thing as a guaranteed job! HA!! I wish..being a civil engineeing major is TUFF!

 

[aquatic barefoot]

Most Civil Engineers focus on either Transportation or Structures. Coming out of school, I would try to get some internships or something like that. Fieldexperience is key. Most state DOT's usually have training/apprentice programs for recent grads, although the economy has effected that to some degree. Make sure you take your E.I.T. now, and not after you graduate. Much easier when its fresh in your mind.

 

[killa23]

yes, the EIT isnt a joke!