huangyhg

career advice for new graduate
i would appreciate very much some advice so that i don't make a bad decision for my first career move. please excuse me if this question is inappropriate for this forum.
i have just graduated with a ce degree and at this point have no engineering work experience. i was offered a job with a small post-tensioning consulting firm that focuses primarily on the design of the floor slabs and foundations for parking garages, apartments, and condos. the firm is basically composed of the owner (p.e.) and 2 draftsmen--making me the only other engineer (eit) if i was to accept. the designs usually do not include other components of the structures (trusses, columns, etc.) or other building materials. other duties would include drafting, take-offs, preliminary designs, and inspections.
my question...do you think this job is too specialized for me if i would like to pass the p.e. exam in the future. it seems like i would be happy with this firm and their willingness to train, so i think my 4 years as and eit will go by just as fast a college did. i'm concerned of the exam already because i don't see myself applying the other civil engineering disciplines (traffic, "water", environmental) very much in the future and i would be doing very specialized concrete work to top it off. i believe my state only has the general civil engineering p.e. license and not a specific structural p.e. as other states do.
i'm often given the advice from my non-engineering friends and family of, "work there for awhile and then move onto something else." this seems the most logical since i lack experience, but i'd like maintain my integrity by staying with the firm for awhile since i know darn well they want to hire someone permanently. i know it is my decision whether i keep my integrity and loyalty with the firm, or do as many of my classmates do (quit shortly after they become productive). i'm not asking you if i should lie to possible employers-just curious what those in the profession would have to say.
thank you
before anything else, i admire your integrity for not wanting to mislead your potential employer. it is expensive to hire and train new employees, so your consideration shows both integrity and maturity.
the firm sounds very specialized and would probably be a better second or third stop for someone, not their first. while going with another, more diverse firm does not guarantee that you'll be exposed to other sub-disciplines, it does have a greater likelihood.
while the p.e. exam for civil is diverse, it is not necessary to have been practicing in each of the respective subject areas in order to pass the exam. it would be helpful to have some exposure to several different subject areas, even though they are not your specialties.
i have been extremely lucky in my career to have been exposed to numerous subject areas and many diverse and interesting projects. each day typically brings an opportunity to meet an engineering challenge and apply my experience in the solution of a problem. in the business i'm in, i work on perhaps a hundred different projects per year, so i get to see many different approaches to problems and their solutions.
design firms offer diversity in some cases, but often you don't get the opportunity to work on many projects unless they are relatively small. consulting firms offer the greater diversity, but the projects are often small or at least the part on which you work might be small, and the pace is fast with numerous deadlines.
confused yet!?
take a look at one of the national consulting firms. they often foster more opportunity, more diversity, and more responsibility early on.
you don鈥檛 have to apologize, my friend, your concern is legitimate and since you don鈥檛 have enough working experience i retain that your action to ask the others opinion is the best way. i believe that nobody in this forum will get upset advising a professional in a new entry position. also myself, regardless of my 15+ years experience i am in a similar situation, i am a new comer in canada, searching for an appropriate job鈥?聽聽:-)
so, my advice is to get involved with that job, even if it seems that is not a big deal, trying to learn as much as possible from your boss until another opportunity will come out. any experience will be important for your career and since you have the chance to act in a consultancy (even small) take the chance to learn form the others how they do their work.
in my working experience i had a lot of duties, i鈥檝e changed several times my profile trying to achieve my goals.
wishing you good luck in your career,
mihail
good advice from the above two individuals...i thought i'd weigh in as well.
the ability to pass the pe exam should be secondary. you are essentially mapping your entire career path by the early decisions you make in your first one or two positions. i would be very careful about accepting a position with a firm that "specializes" as this will force you down that particular path and limit your ability to market yourself to other firms. we have a firm in our city that only does precast concrete plans, specifically veneer systems and the embedded connections and shop drawings that are necessary for the precaster to manufacture the concrete components. i interviewed one of their engineers and he was desperate to get out as his experience became very focused and limited (also somewhat repetitive).
while some national firms provide excellent experience, other large firms can also pigeon-hole you into a specific job function and limit your experience. perhaps the best route to develop yourself as a wide range engineer would be a mid-sized firm that encompasses a variety of project types. the mid-sized firms (80 to 200 employees) allow young engineers to accept project responsibility at an earlier point and usually work with small, complex projects all the way up to larger scale work.
i don't know if you are in the us or not, but the pe test administered by the ncees comes in two forms. an individual may choose to take the fundamentals (pe) exam, or (since you have structural by your name) you could take the se1 exam which focuses entirely on structural. the se2 follows later and can be taken to allow licensing as a "structural engineer" in states that require it (i.e. illinois).
i had been structural engieer for the last 16 years. i had worked for large engineering company and also small consulting engineering company.
you have an unusual opportunity. my experience is that it is always good to work for small company first and then large company later. working for a small company you get hands on experience in all areas (engineering and drafting) while working for a large company you may be doing only drafting. large company does not have time to train you and not all senior engineer is willing to teach you everything. you can always enhance your knowledge by taking seminars and courses. when the opportunity comes up, you just take it and never look back because you decide your career.
as far as pe exam, you can pass it by self study or taking courses. i am a structural engineer and i study the other civil disciplines to pass the exam. i think you can do it too.
good luck to you !
on a philosophical note, "wherever you are and whatever you're involved with, you are doing the right thing in the right place at the right time that's meant for you."
that's part of your spiritual growth. now, on the material side of things ---- tread lightly with specialization. i did just that (also in the prestressed concrete field), and although i don't regret it, i had to work very hard to keep from stagnating in other disciplines. one way to avoid working in a vacuum is to get involved with and actively participate in the professional societies (such as asce, aci, pci, aisc, etc).
my advice for any starting civil engineer, structural or not, is to spend at least one or two years with either a construction company, a manufacturer, or a design-build (turnkey) engineering firm. here you will be exposed to all sorts of everyday problems that have to be solved on the spot, and will get a good insight into the practical side of things. more importantly, you will be exposed to fellow workers that will probably not be as well educated as you, and you will gain valuable experience in interacting with them without making them feel inferior. you will be amazed at how many good ideas come from people you might think are not very well educated. it makes you learn how to be humble.
there exists an eternal battle between design and construction in this world, wherein the builders think that the designers don't know what they're doing and the designers think the bullders are too stupid to follow instructions. you, as a potential designer, can help bridge this gap by starting out on the other side of the fence. here, you get a chance to see and work with things that will make you more practical and efficient. then, when you get heavily involved on the design side, you will be the first to know how not to do something!
good luck, my young friend. with your attitude and conscientious approach, you will do just fine.
wyf (the polecat)
thank you all for taking time to give me your advice. they were very helpful and i will make use of them all.

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借用达朗贝尔的名言：前进吧，你会得到信心!
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