engineers.....doing shop drawings

huangyhg

engineers.....doing shop drawings?
should structural engineers be doing shop drawings? i have been working for this small design office for close to a year now and pretty much all i do is produce shop drawings using bim. every now and then i get a small task involving design, but nothing major. almost all my engineering knowledge attained during the past year since i graduated was self taught, because 1) there are very few actual competent people in the office, in fact some are downright incompetent and dangerous 2) those who are competent are way too busy for a lowly eit such as myself. i am not in a good learning environment and i know i deserve much better (and can easily land a better paying job that is more suited to my needs.) but, i am too loyal and i can't imagine telling my boss to his face that i want out, and i don't...i just want to be given  tasks that actually involve engineering and not having to endlessly produce and edit shop drawings like a cad monkey.
and when i actually do some design, there is absolutely no quality control, no one to check after my work... just because everyone else is so busy, and it's damn scary.
well, this is the last time i work for a small design office.
is it normal for structural engineers to work on bims in the role of a traditional detailer or am i overreacting just a bit?
sorry for the rant.
hirg,
no, you are not overreacting.  from my own experience, you need to get out of a situation like that before it is too late.  i waited too long before i made my move from a similar situation, and it has been very stressful in the new job because of expectations others have of your skillset and pressure you put on yourself.  please don't let loyalty to a company interfere with what is best for you, your future and your family.  it isn't worth it.
being skilled at using the computer doing technician level work can be a very big handicap in your career progression.
be careful.
wow, when i first started reading you post i thought that you worked for a mega firm. i work for a small firm, and busy as we are (50-60 hr weeks) my boss always has had time to answer my questions and give advice. and always checked all of my work before sending it out. i would say find another firm.
imo bigger firms are not better firms.
how can i go about telling my boss of how i really feel without coming across as too demanding?
dude, just leave.  acting like a professional includes identifying your goals and being honest with your employer.  this place is obviously far beyond hope, and even if you get meaningful engineering tasks you're still screwed.
"should structural engineers be doing shop drawings?" - yes, you're at the bottom of the food chain. that's they way it is, but, if you're good [at engineering] your time will come. remember, if you're still doing the same work 10 years from now, you made a mistake somewhere.
"there are very few actual competent people in the office, in fact some are downright incompetent and dangerous" - not good; get out. re  
i agree with bridgebuster.  at the present you are at the bottom of the food chain and you have a skill that i presume others don't: you warm up to computer programs pretty easily.
but do take the time to look at the whole picture and see what is really there for you.  do they have the ability to move you around, is being promoted or taking on responsibility really attainable there?  if you don't like the answers to those questions start looking.
as for incompetence, it is everywhere and i say that not really believing i'm knocking the profession but i guess like all fields there are the good and the bad.
regards,
qshake
eng-tips forums:real solutions for real problems really quick.
a lot of people believe that an eit's first year or so should be spent drafting details and checking shop drawings.  i believe the thought process is to ensure that the young engineer gains healthy idea of constructibility before they start making design decisions.  i think it is a good philosophy because when you are fresh out of school you don't have much of a clue about what's practical for construction and use.
i am an recent graduate, working for a small firm, and i spend more time doing drafting and checking shops than anything else.  however, i do get a healthy chunk of design work and modeling experience as my boss wants me to see all aspects of the work.  i think have learned the most so far from the non-design work.  so, i would stick it out for a little longer because i think you are gaining valuable experience, even though it is not design work.  if you don't start getting more design work soon... get outta there!
i am also a recent grad. working in a small office, i do shops on my own projects and if a senior engineer needs them done they will ask a junior engineer to do them.  i don’t do any of the drafting on my jobs per se, but i do look at every single detail at every location it is called out to make sure it can be built.  any non-typical details i draw up by hand and have a structural draftsman draw them up on the detail sheets.  i learn a lot from shop drawings but not nearly as much as doing a complete design.
for a start it is good for you to do shopdrawings especially if using 3d software. it helps you understand your structure, helps you visualizing it and gives a better perspective about elements interfacing each other. for a start yes it helps, after a while you can visualize your structure without the need of 3d software. then you can converse with architects or other parties at somehow different/better level.
since you haven't been working there a year yet, i'd suggest sticking it out a bit, but making sure immediately that your boss understands that you are not going to be happy doing this for an extended period of time and want more experience and more out of the job.  you are learning valuable stuff related to how structures fit together while you do shop dwgs, so it is not a complete waste of your time.  hopefully, there is some variety to the type of projects you are creating shop drawings for.  if your company's management understands how you feel and value your potential other contributions to the company, they will likely try to weed you out of the shop dwg position in order to keep you there.  the question to ask yourself is 'is there any role at this company that you are going to be happy with?'  if the answer is no, then move on and find a new job.  if you could see yourself in a different role with this company that you'd be happy with, then it may be worth giving it a bit more time, and being a bit bolder with your boss.