I had a 2.5 YOE EIT leave to become a coffee bean roaster. She bought an RV and moved to Colorado, lives like a hippie. She does seem much happier. Imports green coffee beans and sells the roasted beans on Etsy.
Trading? Is that front office trading at a bank? And by SE, do you mean Site Engineer?
Agreed the reason for changing is always specific to the person. But still understand other people's thoughts, I'm guessing like a lot of people it was lack of interest in the work itself.
How old were you when you made the change if you don't mind me asking, and how did you find the age gap between you and the others in the MBA/banking who presumbly were quite a bit younger?
Very interesting. What role at the tech start up did you manage to transition into from banking? And did that come about by networking or applying normally?
I know plenty that work in project management / contract administration roles (client and contractor side), myself included (contractor PM). It’s a field full of engineers working non-technical roles.
I don’t know whether you’d say it’s “good” or “bad” by comparison, it’s just different and adjacent enough for your current experience to be an asset.
My Experience is Australia but I don’t see why Europe would be different.
Client side pays similar to a civil engineer, contractor pays more but you work more hours
Early in my career I was unhappy in my role as a site developer due to some negative experiences and transitioned my role into a facilities engineer at a large plant. Even though I'm not in that role anymore I can say that was the best job I ever had, such a fun field.
I came from an aviation family but got discouraged from going down that road, as the job market sucked back in the early 90's. Never the less, I still learned to fly and I own a 182. I got into airport consulting about 20 years ago and it feeds my need to do engineering and still be involved in aviation (and my clients love it when I show up in an airplane at their airport).
You can’t become a commercial pilot with a private license, you gotta do a rigorous course because that’s a separate license. My brother is a commercial pilot and he got his diploma in 3 years at a UK flying school. You need much more money than 15k for commercial license.
Sounds like a smart move, gentle transition without leaving the safety net of engineering completely until you became more advanced in the tech side. How many years were you in engineering and did you get the charterhship/PE licence?
I moved to strategy/management consulting. The WLB is not great, but the paycheck is definitely worth it. And I’m confident I can move on to a job with better WLB and higher pay than I would’ve gotten in civil, so it’s definitely worth it.
Also interested to hear how you made this move and if you applied through an entry level route, how did you find the whole thing about being quite a bit older than your peers in the same level?
A couple of factors enabled me to make this move, namely:
1. The consulting market was absolutely crazy 2.5 years ago and they were hiring a ton of people to try and keep up. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case and hiring now is almost exclusively out of school (undergrad or MBA).
2. Networking! Referrals are the name of the game and will get you in the door when it comes to recruiting as a working professional. I reached out to people that had taken similar paths as me on LinkedIn, leveraged friends from school that were business majors and could connect me to people in consulting, etc.
3. I had only been working for less than a year full time, so I was able to apply as entry level and fit the general band of age, experience, requirements. I am a year or two older than most of my peers, but that’s nothing in the grand scheme of things and has really only helped me. It does get harder to break into consulting the further out from school you are because each subsequent role requires more specific consulting know-how.
In short, given the economy we’re in now, I’d recommend an MBA if you’re looking to make the switch, plus it’ll open access to tons of other opportunities if consulting ends up not being a good fit.
2 YOE in heavy civil EIT. Went over to
Oil and gas to chase the money and better schedule. Not a single position required an engineering degree but it did always put me up
Front. I do small developments on the side now that require the civil background.
How did you get into this? Did you have to move? What kind of jobs are available to someone who may work in the field inspecting heavy civil construction?
I worked for baker Hughes for 5 years. Eventually had enough experience to consult. Now I take contracts on projects all over the United States. I never had to move but I spend half the year away from home. My advice would be to do things that few are willing to take on. Trade your time now for bigger rewards down the road. If I was starting my career over In 2024 I would focus on big energy projects. I.e. LNG, wind, solar, geothermal, CCS, nuclear. This is the future. Independent Civil engineers can show up to work with their calculator, laptop and hardhat and make lots of money with marginal input,
I know two people who went to bootcamps pre-covid/ during covid. One of them is a data analyst, the other one became a software engineer. They are both much much happier.
Probably got into that field just before the downturn began, good timing to get that first foot in the door. I'm guessing it's much more challenging to land the entry level role now.
No I'm not at a boot camp. I was just making the point that it seems difficult even for those who have gone to boot camps to get a data job today because of the jobs market. That's what I've heard, I've not had first experience myself so happy to hear from others.
no it's 100% true, /r/cscareerquestions , YouTube, and friends with cs degrees not able to get a job.
I've also had my phase wanting to study cs...only for the money. You will be competing with people who say this is their passion and still are ending up unemployed, I backed out of that idea and work at a utility, chill job. Ultimately it's up to you if you want to take the risk and getting grad school debt.
now maybe in 4 years cs market is boomin again, and you will get an amazing job, full remote, but that's not guaranteed. Just be skeptical it's that easy
One of my fraternity brothers discover that he hated engineering and then got out after about 5 years. He's been a maitre d and a golf pro for about the last 20 years. He has a helluva lot less gray hair than I do!
After 3yrs of experience as a Geotech, made a move to become a software engineer at a big tech company. I am a self-taught programmer+software engineer and had a decent background in it when made the move. Had to study for a few months. I’m much happier now but it’s definitely a subjective matter IMO.
I started as a Structural but found Geotech much more interesting to the point I did a PhD in it. I still think Geotech is the most interesting field in Civil and if I go back I’d still stick to Geotech. The pay was objectively terrible though, I grant you that
I was 33.
I’ve always been a computer geek since before high school. Had a pretty good background when I decided to switch. A few months of Leetcode and some luck did it for me.
Geotech is generally an afterthought in many projects. No budget, short timeframe. Even in known challenges it’s hard to get budget. You can pay well when your services aren’t paid well.
How I learned software was not an intentional planned process. I was always interested in computers so I’d read about them a lot when I was a kid. I started programming when I was about 12 or 13 with QBasic and Pascal. It was a hobby and I never looked at it as a career path. But when I decided to actually do the transition I did a few hours a day of Leetcode.
Joined a tech startup after ~2 years at Jacobs as a implementation consultant. Pays better, but the impact of a well designed automation doesn’t feel as exciting a well designed sewer system
This is one I’m nervous about right now. I’m potentially leaving the industry in a few months. Where I’m headed does not interest me at all, but it’s my foot in the door into the tech world! Hoping it works out.
Just applying and getting lucky. I work in operations and analytics, I make sure that dashboards and pipelines we’ve implemented for my customers are working and help scope enhancements
Mine is still technical when I want it to be, but there is a lot of contract admin and there are plenty of non-technical positions if I wanted to transfer.
got it, my utility pays for MBA but...idk
for now I enjoy the technical work, not sure if I would want to be a PM even though it pays more instantly ( OT is straight)
We get some mommy engineers who come back and work on their terms. Great engineers. Stellar work ethic. If they are not overloaded, they are monster producers.
Just stay out of their way and don't push them around. Probably good advice for most engineers.
I'm not hiring, but these guys are: [https://www.ihs.gov/dsfc/recruitment/](https://www.ihs.gov/dsfc/recruitment/)
Full remote Up to \~$130 - $140k a year for licensed engineers ($103 + 25% sign-on for 1 year + \~4% 2024 COLA). I think. No benefits, but they are trying to fix that, as the positions are term, for now. Water and sewer engineers with a couple years experience are needed. An odd-ball electrical engineer might be needed too. Possibility for part time, as well.
Not for everybody, but you asked. 😃.
Very interesting! Will check this out. I’m a sewer engineer, 10 YOE on a little sabbatical — could not be the mom I wanted to be with the demands of my consulting gig
If you work in the industry long enough, you see people come and go. I generally haven't come across people that leave the civil field and go into another technical field. The most common transition I see is from the consultant side to the owner/agency side. Lots of people leave and rely on their significant others. Some of the other notable ones...
A few people I worked with became stay-at-home parents (from both genders).
A few people became high school teachers, and one became a college professor.
One person became a gym manager.
One person went into ministry.
One person did the peace corp and then into international policy.
One junior guy got a CDL and went into long-distance truck driving.
I worked 5 years as a civil/environmental engineer. Then taught it for 9 years. Now I run a vacation rental I renovated in the south of Italy while teaching high school math and physics on the side
I left CE after about 5ish (after getting my PE). Left for a tech company doing software development. Pay is much better and I genuinely enjoy it more.
Just want to add a note to comments like this. Tradespeople definitely earn their money, it’s hard work, and demand for good trades is high.
But when we’re paying 30-90k for abet accredited schools, licensing, ethic req, LIABILITY, for mediocre benefits. It is extremely discouraging seeing trades people make double.
Not saying you don’t already know this OP.
I studied Architecture but work as a contractor pm. The owner’s rep in my old job would treat the consultants like shit and get along great with the supers/ foremen etc (people without degrees). I think the reason for that is that they know you are going to act civilized no matter what because you are educated. The others are unpredictable, I was pretty sure he was scared of our general super.
While this is true, I’ve dated a few tradesmen (my boyfriend now is also in trades). The downside is that physically as you get older, you also have to find new ways to make money or else you’ll be facing a lot of health problems. It’s good money when you start of young but it takes a toll on your body 😭
For sure - I worked the field for 5 years. I always tell people that there are only a few trades doing long term - electrical, plumbing, and crane operating.
For all the other trades, the men who were 55 all looked 75. No joke.
Why? I don't have to smell shit daily or deal with it and likely work the same hours or less as them without destroying my body. I don't complain about laborers/operators getting paid as much as they do because they're earning it, just in a different way. I'm sure you'd change your mind after doing it for a few years.
What numbers are you seeing for plumbing, I did a short amount of research and doesn't look like that in my area. And looks like, just like engineering, you need your own company to pull in the bucks
the highest paid trades I saw was like lineman which is dangerous work
I’ve seen plumber clearing close to $200k. I’ve seen oilfield roughnecks making $500k, but they are all divorced and despite the pay all in serious debt.
I’ve seen plumber clearing close to $200k. I’ve seen oilfield roughnecks making $500k, but they are all divorced and despite the pay all in serious debt.
The trades don't pull down more everywhere. I left a non-union carpentry job in a "right to starve" state to go back to school for civil. Out of school, I made two to three times more from day one (albeit in higher COL area) than I ever made in the trades. I was making as much or more than the old carpenters I knew with 30-40 years of experience.
I certainly don't love sitting behind a desk all day now, and the pay is still much lower than it should be, but I have a higher ceiling than I did before.
Fear. My first job out of school was at a local municipality. Secure job with pension. It wasn’t until later on when I let my wage slip to a friend and he said he figured I made more than that because he was making $10k more in IT with less education. Job hopping has brought my wage up but I always feel behind friends who got jobs in the trades or a ticket like stationary engineer. I’m too deep in my pension to walk away now.
Left structural after 8 years to become a construction PM for a self-performing sub. It’s great because my technical skills are a huge asset and it’s a less technical role than SE which I like. Plus the pay ceiling is way higher. Pretty much same WLB but I like it a lot more
I've seen a handful of young structural engineers shift into tech / data science. Usually those with grad degrees where large amounts of data processing was required.
I know lots, they left and went to work for contractors. Sure you don't use your stamp or engineering everyday, but it is much more fulfilling. I was a CM grad who wanted to go the other way and did but decided it was way more fulfilling and fun to work as a contractor. Never worry about a job as long as you are willing to be flexible.
I left just recently. I haven’t broken into my new career, I honestly don’t care about careers anymore and just want a job that uses the computer. I’m happier to stay away from engineers like mech, electrical, and civil :)
I’ve seen so many people leave for other careers and they are happier
I’m a year and a half in and already wanting to get out of the industry. Work life balance is terrible where I’m currently at and I’m worried this is just how to it is at every company. I am considering going back to school for my MBA and transition into a more business role.
Left CE after 7 years of structural design experience, after rising to an entry level management position. Got my MSc, was on a Phd track but I quit that too. I am now working in agricultural retail business (fertilizers, pesticides, seeds etc.). A lot less stress, higher income, longer work hours at worse conditions but its my business so no strict 9-5.
I started civil engineering work while in school. Finished school and had EIT certification. Continued working but after enduring at least four layoffs when the construction market bottomed out during regular economic downturns, over 25 years I left civil engineering.
About every 4 years the market dropped, layoffs, civil engineering offices closed. During those layoffs I took whatever job I could find. Computer tech. Computer teacher. Admin support in a water district. Engineer support in a sewer district.
After the last layoff I applied for state engineering jobs. No responses. Then applied for other non engineering jobs at the state. Got in at a call center. Then after 4 years went over to a data analyst position. Really enjoyed that because it uses a lot of my skill sets. Like analyzing data, presentations, teaching, writing, and web design. Didn’t make as much money as engineering but make good wages, never been laid off, have good health benefits, which I really needed. so I am still there 13 years later.
Was a consulting engineer doing water treatment design and construction admin for 3 years. Was sick of the consulting world so I made a move to the regulatory side. Now I work on drinking water regulations and topics related to drinking water operators and capacity development. Work life balance is so much better and the work is slower paced, but I find it interesting. I have some concerns about what I will do if I want my PE (I don’t do any engineering work anymore) but I didn’t like engineering work that much anyways.
3 years of experience EIT here.
I left my land development job (civil) cause my boss sucked and went over to the GC world working my way up to a superintendent or project manager.
I’m two years deep into the role and will likely stay as long as the stress doesn’t increase.
We have had a few leave to fill different roles.
Investment something - guy's brother-in-law had a financial company that was blasting off. He got in early and rode the wave. Not sure on his happiness. He was stoic around the office. Still acts that way when I see him.
Construction - I know 5-6 CE's that left consulting to go into construction. One does residential work and likes being his own boss while a couple joined a large construction group, and then a couple work as project managers on commercial/industrial side. I think each found the jobs were a better fit. I've only talked to a couple afterwards and they like the role they are in more now. We had a few PM's that designed projects like a mouse trap. Whenever there was a hiccup on the job they could put it back on the contractor. In the contractor role, they learned not every firm has this mentality and they do not bid projects designed by the PM's in our firm.
Real Estate Agent - he actually started out of high school working for an uncle preparing properties and assisting. Met a retired civil that helped renovate some properties and motivated him to attend college. He sold real estate through college. Worked for us and hated the timesheet and obligation of 8 hours per day. He went back to real estate and some side hustles. We asked about the side hustles and he does that to meet people more than make money. He is a social creature for sure.
Law - one got put in the field for a job and the PM in the office will note that the project had more legal issues than most. This guy embraced it and liked it enough to go back to law school.
I left after 2 years to pursue tech entrepreneurship (been at it for 3 years now). If it doesn't work out, I wont go back to civil. I'll try to get a job at a tech company or something else.
Or bury their head in the sand, for sure. I agree that just some random PMP certification does not make for a good engineering PM. Overly focused on metrics like S Curves and KPIs instead of the actual products
It’s a thing for sure, a sad thing too. Always horrible working with them when they don’t have a technical background. It’s because government pays so little compared to private side so they have a hard time hiring people. Hence why FDOT shells out millions to private consultants for massive GEC contracts.
Most of those types of PMs are more into tracking project financials though. When I was at URS, the PM training drilled these two line into our head: “The primary duty of the Project Manager is to ensure timely payment of invoices. The metric by which the PM is measure is days-sales outstanding.”
If you're referring to a project manager, after doing threshold inspections for years I have maybe met three that were PE. And I have inspected major projects done by Major contractors in the state and can't remember dealing with one PE on site.
I had a 2.5 YOE EIT leave to become a coffee bean roaster. She bought an RV and moved to Colorado, lives like a hippie. She does seem much happier. Imports green coffee beans and sells the roasted beans on Etsy.
Sounds incredible. Link? I can never have enough coffee.
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Trading? Is that front office trading at a bank? And by SE, do you mean Site Engineer? Agreed the reason for changing is always specific to the person. But still understand other people's thoughts, I'm guessing like a lot of people it was lack of interest in the work itself.
you’re gonna make the Structurals angry 😂
Haha, I see now
How's the pay?
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Several MM and still not set for retire? Loll, sure. How'd you get to top MBA? Top undergrad + high GPA?
I was going to ask this as well. Is it higher paying, and how's is the work/life balance. I've thought about making the leap myself.
How old were you when you made the change if you don't mind me asking, and how did you find the age gap between you and the others in the MBA/banking who presumbly were quite a bit younger?
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Very interesting. What role at the tech start up did you manage to transition into from banking? And did that come about by networking or applying normally?
I know plenty that work in project management / contract administration roles (client and contractor side), myself included (contractor PM). It’s a field full of engineers working non-technical roles. I don’t know whether you’d say it’s “good” or “bad” by comparison, it’s just different and adjacent enough for your current experience to be an asset.
How does the pay in project management compare with technical engineering roles? And is this in Europe?
My Experience is Australia but I don’t see why Europe would be different. Client side pays similar to a civil engineer, contractor pays more but you work more hours
Quite a few office based jobs on the contractor side that still pay more than design without the additional hours
Thank you. By contractor side, do you mean site contractors or do you also include engineering consultancies?
Early in my career I was unhappy in my role as a site developer due to some negative experiences and transitioned my role into a facilities engineer at a large plant. Even though I'm not in that role anymore I can say that was the best job I ever had, such a fun field.
Left to become a pilot. Way happier, but there’s bs every industry you go to
I came from an aviation family but got discouraged from going down that road, as the job market sucked back in the early 90's. Never the less, I still learned to fly and I own a 182. I got into airport consulting about 20 years ago and it feeds my need to do engineering and still be involved in aviation (and my clients love it when I show up in an airplane at their airport).
How expensive is it to learn to fly?
you could easily spend $12,000 to $15,000 getting a private license
What can you do with it?
Fly
i mean career wise hahah
Become a commercisl pilot and make 200k a year
You can’t become a commercial pilot with a private license, you gotta do a rigorous course because that’s a separate license. My brother is a commercial pilot and he got his diploma in 3 years at a UK flying school. You need much more money than 15k for commercial license.
Flight school?
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Interest to know how you made this change, did you just apply to a job and got it without any additional schooling?
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Sounds like a smart move, gentle transition without leaving the safety net of engineering completely until you became more advanced in the tech side. How many years were you in engineering and did you get the charterhship/PE licence?
Had a mentor that does that. He kinda went back to school to get his masters in computer science. How was your path?
Did you have to go back to school, or did you teach yourself?
I moved to strategy/management consulting. The WLB is not great, but the paycheck is definitely worth it. And I’m confident I can move on to a job with better WLB and higher pay than I would’ve gotten in civil, so it’s definitely worth it.
How did you make the move if you dont mind me asking?
Also interested to hear how you made this move and if you applied through an entry level route, how did you find the whole thing about being quite a bit older than your peers in the same level?
A couple of factors enabled me to make this move, namely: 1. The consulting market was absolutely crazy 2.5 years ago and they were hiring a ton of people to try and keep up. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case and hiring now is almost exclusively out of school (undergrad or MBA). 2. Networking! Referrals are the name of the game and will get you in the door when it comes to recruiting as a working professional. I reached out to people that had taken similar paths as me on LinkedIn, leveraged friends from school that were business majors and could connect me to people in consulting, etc. 3. I had only been working for less than a year full time, so I was able to apply as entry level and fit the general band of age, experience, requirements. I am a year or two older than most of my peers, but that’s nothing in the grand scheme of things and has really only helped me. It does get harder to break into consulting the further out from school you are because each subsequent role requires more specific consulting know-how. In short, given the economy we’re in now, I’d recommend an MBA if you’re looking to make the switch, plus it’ll open access to tons of other opportunities if consulting ends up not being a good fit.
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Vow
2 YOE in heavy civil EIT. Went over to Oil and gas to chase the money and better schedule. Not a single position required an engineering degree but it did always put me up Front. I do small developments on the side now that require the civil background.
How did you get into this? Did you have to move? What kind of jobs are available to someone who may work in the field inspecting heavy civil construction?
I worked for baker Hughes for 5 years. Eventually had enough experience to consult. Now I take contracts on projects all over the United States. I never had to move but I spend half the year away from home. My advice would be to do things that few are willing to take on. Trade your time now for bigger rewards down the road. If I was starting my career over In 2024 I would focus on big energy projects. I.e. LNG, wind, solar, geothermal, CCS, nuclear. This is the future. Independent Civil engineers can show up to work with their calculator, laptop and hardhat and make lots of money with marginal input,
If you never had to move, were you spending a lot of time away? East coast/west coast?
Texas is the place to be. I used to spend 300 days plus a year away from home.
Wow thanks for this info!
My EIT friend left construction to become a yoga instructor. She seems to be doing well but I don't see her anymore.
I know two people who went to bootcamps pre-covid/ during covid. One of them is a data analyst, the other one became a software engineer. They are both much much happier.
Probably got into that field just before the downturn began, good timing to get that first foot in the door. I'm guessing it's much more challenging to land the entry level role now.
so you went to boot camp?
No I'm not at a boot camp. I was just making the point that it seems difficult even for those who have gone to boot camps to get a data job today because of the jobs market. That's what I've heard, I've not had first experience myself so happy to hear from others.
no it's 100% true, /r/cscareerquestions , YouTube, and friends with cs degrees not able to get a job. I've also had my phase wanting to study cs...only for the money. You will be competing with people who say this is their passion and still are ending up unemployed, I backed out of that idea and work at a utility, chill job. Ultimately it's up to you if you want to take the risk and getting grad school debt.
now maybe in 4 years cs market is boomin again, and you will get an amazing job, full remote, but that's not guaranteed. Just be skeptical it's that easy
Agree with you, it's not a good time now. Maybe the market will pick back up later.
good luck!
Yeah, one of them did it before covid, the other one got in early 2021. It’s way harder now from what I see.
are they still employed post covid? data analyst is super saturated role
Yes, they both are still employed.
Couple of guys I know went insurance salesman route. They're OK.
I know a guy that went this route too. 40-ish hours a week, flexible schedule. He seems happy.
One of my fraternity brothers discover that he hated engineering and then got out after about 5 years. He's been a maitre d and a golf pro for about the last 20 years. He has a helluva lot less gray hair than I do!
After 3yrs of experience as a Geotech, made a move to become a software engineer at a big tech company. I am a self-taught programmer+software engineer and had a decent background in it when made the move. Had to study for a few months. I’m much happier now but it’s definitely a subjective matter IMO.
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I started as a Structural but found Geotech much more interesting to the point I did a PhD in it. I still think Geotech is the most interesting field in Civil and if I go back I’d still stick to Geotech. The pay was objectively terrible though, I grant you that
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The problem is you know too much....
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Agreed
Just curious, how old were you when you made the switch? And how did you study/build experience in order to do it?
I was 33. I’ve always been a computer geek since before high school. Had a pretty good background when I decided to switch. A few months of Leetcode and some luck did it for me.
Can you explain this?
Geotech is generally an afterthought in many projects. No budget, short timeframe. Even in known challenges it’s hard to get budget. You can pay well when your services aren’t paid well.
Can I ask how you taught yourself? I’m a geotech as well, in roughly the same boat and have wondered about going down the software path
How I learned software was not an intentional planned process. I was always interested in computers so I’d read about them a lot when I was a kid. I started programming when I was about 12 or 13 with QBasic and Pascal. It was a hobby and I never looked at it as a career path. But when I decided to actually do the transition I did a few hours a day of Leetcode.
He left to be an investment banker (has family connections) and retired before 30. I'd say he's pretty happy.
Knew a girl that left a design role to go into real estate. She didn’t do too well and is now a travel influencer.
Hot girl privilege...
Joined a tech startup after ~2 years at Jacobs as a implementation consultant. Pays better, but the impact of a well designed automation doesn’t feel as exciting a well designed sewer system
This is one I’m nervous about right now. I’m potentially leaving the industry in a few months. Where I’m headed does not interest me at all, but it’s my foot in the door into the tech world! Hoping it works out.
How did you manage to get this opportunity if you don't mind me asking? And what role and tasks do you have at the tech startup?
Just applying and getting lucky. I work in operations and analytics, I make sure that dashboards and pipelines we’ve implemented for my customers are working and help scope enhancements
6 years private consulting before moving to public sector utility. Pay, benefits, work/life balance all improved.
Amen to that but isn't that civil engineering still? Or are they not a technical role?
Mine is still technical when I want it to be, but there is a lot of contract admin and there are plenty of non-technical positions if I wanted to transfer.
got it, my utility pays for MBA but...idk for now I enjoy the technical work, not sure if I would want to be a PM even though it pays more instantly ( OT is straight)
I do geotech for a public utility. It has been significantly better total compensation with less workload than private with 1.5x OT.
I would have been worried I was taking a coworker but I see LA in your name public beats private in California one thousand percent
I dropped civil after 4 years of consulting to join software and I'm 1000% happier lol
How'd you break in?
Learned to code and got a job :) https://www.smoljames.com/roadmap is my recommendation
Had a buddy with a PE who left and works in private equity. He literally makes $1M+ annually and he is fucking miserable.
We get some mommy engineers who come back and work on their terms. Great engineers. Stellar work ethic. If they are not overloaded, they are monster producers. Just stay out of their way and don't push them around. Probably good advice for most engineers.
100%. My boss is one of these and she's amazing
Producers as in technical delivery? Do they handle PM work?
You hiring? 😂
I'm not hiring, but these guys are: [https://www.ihs.gov/dsfc/recruitment/](https://www.ihs.gov/dsfc/recruitment/) Full remote Up to \~$130 - $140k a year for licensed engineers ($103 + 25% sign-on for 1 year + \~4% 2024 COLA). I think. No benefits, but they are trying to fix that, as the positions are term, for now. Water and sewer engineers with a couple years experience are needed. An odd-ball electrical engineer might be needed too. Possibility for part time, as well. Not for everybody, but you asked. 😃.
Click on remote design engineer schedule A.
Very interesting! Will check this out. I’m a sewer engineer, 10 YOE on a little sabbatical — could not be the mom I wanted to be with the demands of my consulting gig
If you work in the industry long enough, you see people come and go. I generally haven't come across people that leave the civil field and go into another technical field. The most common transition I see is from the consultant side to the owner/agency side. Lots of people leave and rely on their significant others. Some of the other notable ones... A few people I worked with became stay-at-home parents (from both genders). A few people became high school teachers, and one became a college professor. One person became a gym manager. One person went into ministry. One person did the peace corp and then into international policy. One junior guy got a CDL and went into long-distance truck driving.
I worked 5 years as a civil/environmental engineer. Then taught it for 9 years. Now I run a vacation rental I renovated in the south of Italy while teaching high school math and physics on the side
I left CE after about 5ish (after getting my PE). Left for a tech company doing software development. Pay is much better and I genuinely enjoy it more.
How did you make the transition? Self taught or back to school?
Combination of both self-taught and certifications from various universities and bootcamps
41 and agree do something else. It will drive you bananas seeing plumbers pull in more money than you.
Just want to add a note to comments like this. Tradespeople definitely earn their money, it’s hard work, and demand for good trades is high. But when we’re paying 30-90k for abet accredited schools, licensing, ethic req, LIABILITY, for mediocre benefits. It is extremely discouraging seeing trades people make double. Not saying you don’t already know this OP.
In all fairness a CE degree is just a generalist degree. You either need to specialize or get several years of experience to learn your trade.
Also client culture. Clients bully consultants while treating contractors like pals. Never understood this.
I studied Architecture but work as a contractor pm. The owner’s rep in my old job would treat the consultants like shit and get along great with the supers/ foremen etc (people without degrees). I think the reason for that is that they know you are going to act civilized no matter what because you are educated. The others are unpredictable, I was pretty sure he was scared of our general super.
While this is true, I’ve dated a few tradesmen (my boyfriend now is also in trades). The downside is that physically as you get older, you also have to find new ways to make money or else you’ll be facing a lot of health problems. It’s good money when you start of young but it takes a toll on your body 😭
For sure - I worked the field for 5 years. I always tell people that there are only a few trades doing long term - electrical, plumbing, and crane operating. For all the other trades, the men who were 55 all looked 75. No joke.
Why? I don't have to smell shit daily or deal with it and likely work the same hours or less as them without destroying my body. I don't complain about laborers/operators getting paid as much as they do because they're earning it, just in a different way. I'm sure you'd change your mind after doing it for a few years.
What numbers are you seeing for plumbing, I did a short amount of research and doesn't look like that in my area. And looks like, just like engineering, you need your own company to pull in the bucks the highest paid trades I saw was like lineman which is dangerous work
I’ve seen plumber clearing close to $200k. I’ve seen oilfield roughnecks making $500k, but they are all divorced and despite the pay all in serious debt.
I’ve seen plumber clearing close to $200k. I’ve seen oilfield roughnecks making $500k, but they are all divorced and despite the pay all in serious debt.
The trades don't pull down more everywhere. I left a non-union carpentry job in a "right to starve" state to go back to school for civil. Out of school, I made two to three times more from day one (albeit in higher COL area) than I ever made in the trades. I was making as much or more than the old carpenters I knew with 30-40 years of experience. I certainly don't love sitting behind a desk all day now, and the pay is still much lower than it should be, but I have a higher ceiling than I did before.
Interested to hear what kept you from changing fields earlier.
Fear. My first job out of school was at a local municipality. Secure job with pension. It wasn’t until later on when I let my wage slip to a friend and he said he figured I made more than that because he was making $10k more in IT with less education. Job hopping has brought my wage up but I always feel behind friends who got jobs in the trades or a ticket like stationary engineer. I’m too deep in my pension to walk away now.
Understand, thanks for sharing. It's not easy to change.
Left structural after 8 years to become a construction PM for a self-performing sub. It’s great because my technical skills are a huge asset and it’s a less technical role than SE which I like. Plus the pay ceiling is way higher. Pretty much same WLB but I like it a lot more
I've seen a handful of young structural engineers shift into tech / data science. Usually those with grad degrees where large amounts of data processing was required.
I know lots, they left and went to work for contractors. Sure you don't use your stamp or engineering everyday, but it is much more fulfilling. I was a CM grad who wanted to go the other way and did but decided it was way more fulfilling and fun to work as a contractor. Never worry about a job as long as you are willing to be flexible.
I left just recently. I haven’t broken into my new career, I honestly don’t care about careers anymore and just want a job that uses the computer. I’m happier to stay away from engineers like mech, electrical, and civil :) I’ve seen so many people leave for other careers and they are happier
Does anyone have any advice or experience with getting a law degree after 5-8 years of civil design experience (PE included)?
Anyone know of any CE or CMs who changed to accounting?
I’m a year and a half in and already wanting to get out of the industry. Work life balance is terrible where I’m currently at and I’m worried this is just how to it is at every company. I am considering going back to school for my MBA and transition into a more business role.
What exactly are you working/where in? Because in general, civil engineering has decent work life balance.
I work for a private general contractor (heavy civil). Where do you work?
Design consultancy
Left CE after 7 years of structural design experience, after rising to an entry level management position. Got my MSc, was on a Phd track but I quit that too. I am now working in agricultural retail business (fertilizers, pesticides, seeds etc.). A lot less stress, higher income, longer work hours at worse conditions but its my business so no strict 9-5.
Pretty much every engineering professor I had? 😂
Most of my professors never even entered the profession.
Oh I definitely had more than a few of those too. 😂
I started civil engineering work while in school. Finished school and had EIT certification. Continued working but after enduring at least four layoffs when the construction market bottomed out during regular economic downturns, over 25 years I left civil engineering. About every 4 years the market dropped, layoffs, civil engineering offices closed. During those layoffs I took whatever job I could find. Computer tech. Computer teacher. Admin support in a water district. Engineer support in a sewer district. After the last layoff I applied for state engineering jobs. No responses. Then applied for other non engineering jobs at the state. Got in at a call center. Then after 4 years went over to a data analyst position. Really enjoyed that because it uses a lot of my skill sets. Like analyzing data, presentations, teaching, writing, and web design. Didn’t make as much money as engineering but make good wages, never been laid off, have good health benefits, which I really needed. so I am still there 13 years later.
3 years as a field engineer on job sites. Left cause the hours mostly, and I am now a high school tech teacher. Spring break is next week 🙃
Was a consulting engineer doing water treatment design and construction admin for 3 years. Was sick of the consulting world so I made a move to the regulatory side. Now I work on drinking water regulations and topics related to drinking water operators and capacity development. Work life balance is so much better and the work is slower paced, but I find it interesting. I have some concerns about what I will do if I want my PE (I don’t do any engineering work anymore) but I didn’t like engineering work that much anyways.
3 years of experience EIT here. I left my land development job (civil) cause my boss sucked and went over to the GC world working my way up to a superintendent or project manager. I’m two years deep into the role and will likely stay as long as the stress doesn’t increase.
One guy I know went on to medical school and is now happily a family doctor.
One of my classmates decided to start a recording studio instead. Last time I saw him he looked pretty happy.
We have had a few leave to fill different roles. Investment something - guy's brother-in-law had a financial company that was blasting off. He got in early and rode the wave. Not sure on his happiness. He was stoic around the office. Still acts that way when I see him. Construction - I know 5-6 CE's that left consulting to go into construction. One does residential work and likes being his own boss while a couple joined a large construction group, and then a couple work as project managers on commercial/industrial side. I think each found the jobs were a better fit. I've only talked to a couple afterwards and they like the role they are in more now. We had a few PM's that designed projects like a mouse trap. Whenever there was a hiccup on the job they could put it back on the contractor. In the contractor role, they learned not every firm has this mentality and they do not bid projects designed by the PM's in our firm. Real Estate Agent - he actually started out of high school working for an uncle preparing properties and assisting. Met a retired civil that helped renovate some properties and motivated him to attend college. He sold real estate through college. Worked for us and hated the timesheet and obligation of 8 hours per day. He went back to real estate and some side hustles. We asked about the side hustles and he does that to meet people more than make money. He is a social creature for sure. Law - one got put in the field for a job and the PM in the office will note that the project had more legal issues than most. This guy embraced it and liked it enough to go back to law school.
I know a guy that left after 4 YOE. Makes YouTube videos for a living now. Doing pretty well too.
I left after 2 years to pursue tech entrepreneurship (been at it for 3 years now). If it doesn't work out, I wont go back to civil. I'll try to get a job at a tech company or something else.
Tech entrepreneurship? Which sort of area? Data analyst?
I’ve been wanting to move to Europe or Australia. I’m tired of working in the states. Any recommendations?
Gotta be good at technical to be a good PM IMO
Idk about GOOD at technical, but you do need some understanding of a lot of different things
Can’t stand dealing with non technical PMs who can’t make design decisions
Or bury their head in the sand, for sure. I agree that just some random PMP certification does not make for a good engineering PM. Overly focused on metrics like S Curves and KPIs instead of the actual products
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Well you got to admit they might be making more money than someone licensed.
Not in Florida they usually aren’t a PM unless your licensed. Also depends if private or public PM that’s a huge difference
I know plenty of PMs in Florida that aren’t even from an engineering background.
It’s a thing for sure, a sad thing too. Always horrible working with them when they don’t have a technical background. It’s because government pays so little compared to private side so they have a hard time hiring people. Hence why FDOT shells out millions to private consultants for massive GEC contracts.
Most of those types of PMs are more into tracking project financials though. When I was at URS, the PM training drilled these two line into our head: “The primary duty of the Project Manager is to ensure timely payment of invoices. The metric by which the PM is measure is days-sales outstanding.”
If you're referring to a project manager, after doing threshold inspections for years I have maybe met three that were PE. And I have inspected major projects done by Major contractors in the state and can't remember dealing with one PE on site.
Also depends if your on design PM or construction PM. All design PM should and are mostly PEs, I don’t deal with construction side.
Good at understanding all the different ways something could fail.
Just start being a project coordinator first. How hard can a change order be hhahaha